The city of Phoenix for years has operated cooling centers in public buildings during hot weather. But this is the first summer the city is offering evening and overnight hours at some heat relief sites. Demand has been huge.
Since May, Burton Barr Library in downtown Phoenix has been keeping one room open for heat relief 24 hours a day. Three other library branches have been staying open until 10 p.m., and the Senior Opportunities West senior center south of downtown has been open overnight from 6 p.m. to 5 a.m. The five new extended-hour sites have had 14,000 visits so far, according to the city.
That number includes repeat visitors like George Threadgill, who has taken advantage of overnight hours at the senior center every night since June.
“It’s comfortable. I talk to staff, they’re real helpful,” Threadgill told KJZZ News.
Threadgill said he has been homeless for about three years and usually spends summer nights on a park bench. He said the air conditioning is a plus.
“It feels rather good in here,” Threadgill said, with a laugh.
Staff at the senior center site said there has been a line at the door every evening when they open and the 70 seats inside usually fill.
“No matter if they are struggling with substance use, or need a cool space overnight, or maybe they had an emergency and their AC is out at home, they are welcomed here,” said Yanitza Soto, with Phoenix’s Office of Public Health.
There are no beds at the site and lights stay on overnight, but visitors may take naps in the chairs. Pets are allowed inside and visitors can get a bottle of water and watch local news or a movie on a large TV. Trained navigators at the site can also connect visitors with other resources. Across all five extended-hour sites, the city reports more than 400 visitors this summer have been referred to treatment, shelter or housing services.
“We identified a veteran yesterday,” said Steven Varnadore, senior program manager with Community Bridges, Inc., the behavioral health organization staffing the sites. “We were able to get him into our veterans program with CBI and he’s already getting housed.”
Phoenix launched the extended-hours sites in response to a record number of heat-related deaths last year. City officials found about a third of heat-related 911 calls last year happened during hours when most cooling centers were not open.
So far this summer, Maricopa County is investigating nearly 400 possible heat-related deaths – a slight increase compared to the same point last summer. But the Phoenix Fire Department reports it has seen a 23% reduction in heat-related calls this summer compared to last.
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