Last summer, there were more heat-related deaths in Maricopa County than we’ve ever seen before: 645. That's more than a more than 50% jump from the year before. And it hit the homeless community hardest.
So, this summer, Phoenix officials are stepping up their efforts to keep people off the streets in often record-breaking heat. They’ve expanded hours at five cooling centers across the city – including overnight hours at some locations – and one 24-hour site at Burton Barr Library in downtown Phoenix. And demand has been huge.
"I mean, it's saving hundreds and hundreds if not thousands of lives this summer," said Caroline Fon, homeless liaison with the city of Phoenix. She’s been in the cooling center seven days a week throughout the summer.
“We've never seen a 24 hour heat respite center like this before. And we are seeing people come in droves. They're coming from all over the city of Phoenix hearing that they can access our services," Fon added.
“We have people coming in here for everything to utilize services. We get people into shelters, we connect them with crisis. We get them to the emergency room when they need. Really we're kind of, we've kind of just shaped into whatever everybody needs right now," Fon said.
They’ve had 14,000 visits to these extended hours sites so far this summer. And more than 400 people who have accepted services at them. And, Fon told me they’re reaching people of all kinds.
"We do see a lot of families come in that are homeless and we have been able to get them a direct access to family shelter, which has been great to see."
I asked if that includes kids.
"Yeah, absolutely. Families that are, that are facing homelessness come in to us. We usually see one every two days and they come in and we direct them to services and we get them off the streets," Fon said.
Rachel Milne, the city's director of homeless solutions, gave me a tour of the operation from their new air conditioned shipping container in the parking lot, the CoolTainer, to the crowded former cafe they’ve converted to a cooling center inside.
It's really crowded in the cooling center when I visit.
As you walk into the cooling center at Burton Bar, you see piles of stuff waiting outside, bikes, suitcases, bags. There are security guards outside and inside the doors wanding people who come in. Inside, people check in at an intake desk manned by Community Bridges staff. People sit in chairs throughout the small space, chatting, resting, charging their phones. There are Arizona State University nursing students circulating among them, checking people’s vitals.
I asked Milne about why the city opened a 24-hour site, and if they were running out of shelter space in the heat.
“So shelter capacity has been an issue the last several years in our community. I'm proud to say the city been really focused on increasing that shelter capacity," Milne said.
"Last week, we opened up a 140-bed shelter. So that is a concern but also shelter is not for everyone. So this not only is a place where people can come in from the heat, get a bottle of water, sit down, talk to someone, but also a place where they can get transportation and immediate placement into a shelter space. Our safe outdoor space, several people have gone to treatment or other services from these locations," Milne said.
I asked if the city's expansion is enough, or are they still turning people away?
"So we, we did feel a few weeks ago that we needed additional capacity, which is why we, we added the Cool Tainer to our, our site, but we have always been sort of like focused on the fact that we're offering additional new shelters. So really, those are excellent places for us to have to be able to refer people to who, who might not have an indoor place to go this summer," Milne said.
I asked about how they got the message out to the community about the cooling centers.
"We worked with our communications team to do a huge marketing campaign. I've seen the billboards around. We've let outreach teams know. We've also just made it, try to make it a big effort, not only for people experiencing homelessness, but for others in need," Milne said."
"This isn't, this isn't just for one type of population. It's really meant for anyone in the community who needs it so that anyone whose air conditioning might go out who doesn't have air conditioning knows that these sites are available to them," Milne said.
I asked about policing, and how they keep out issues like drug use.
"So this site does have rules, we allow anyone to come in and cool off, the whole purpose of this site is to cool people down. We do want people, we don't allow weapons, we don't allow drug use in this site. It's, it certainly has rules," Milne said.
"We abide, we expect people to abide by. However, we're the lowest barrier entry. We want anyone to come in. The whole purpose of this site is to keep people from dying on the street due to heat," Milne added.
I asked if Milne feels a lot of pressure being at the forefront and trying to figure out how to handle this in a way that many cities really have never had to do?
"Well, yes, I just think our, our community was under a lot of pressure to do better this year. No, no one ever wants to see the number of heat related deaths that we had last year. Our city definitely doesn't want to see the number of heat-related emergency calls that we had last year. So taking these proactive steps is going to prove, I think to be very beneficial when we look at all the data at the end of the summer," Milne said.
I asked what if at the end of the summer, we do see those heat death numbers go up again. What else do you think you can do?
"I think the city will, will take a look at that data and learn, change and improve for next year. Certainly, as we're doing sort of midsummer, right," Milne said.
"Now, you know, adding capacity where we need to, adjusting security levels, adjusting navigation levels, bringing in additional partners such as the ASU nursing students you see today, I think we're constantly making adjustments and we'll continue to do that for next year as well," Milne added.
Milne talked a lot about the changing approach Phoenix is taking to addressing the heat and homelessness this summer – and how much they want this center to be low barrier. Pets are allowed. You can sleep here if you want and no one will bother you.
But, around the back of the library, there were still groups of people sitting around that day, napping, chatting and smoking in the heat.
Autumn Williams was there. She told me she’s used the cooling centers many times, especially at night. But, there are still barriers for some.
“Now that they have security purposes and metal detectors. Some of us don't like to go in there, but that doesn't stop me from checking on those that we stay connected to,” Williams said.
I asked her about their concerns metal detectors and security.
“Metal detectors and what not like it just triggers some of us out here due to PTSD of going in and out of maximum security as in jail and other traumatized events,” Williams said.
I asked about seeing people with heatstroke.
"Honestly, yeah, I had one myself recently, not recently, but like a couple of weeks ago, we're out here all day and some of us aren't even allowed in the cooling center," Williams said. "But the cooling center, they provide so much information that if we did that, it's our choice to take it, like take what they're providing or not. But other than that, it's all on us. Like who else can I blame besides us?"
I asked why some people aren't allowed in the cooling center.
"Due to the fact that people are smoking, drinking; weapon, like weapon wise and and all that other like negativity," Williams said.
Williams told me she often goes to the cooling center down the street at Grace Lutheran Church where she can sleep, sometimes watch a movie and feel safe.
Phoenix is opening up two more shelters for people experiencing homelessness this month and the Phoenix Fire Department reports that heat-related calls are down 23%. But, county officials were investigating nearly 400 heat-related deaths late last month, an uptick from where we were at that time last summer.
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The longest stretch of triple-digit days in Phoenix history has come to an end after a record-shattering 113 days. -
As of Sept. 17, the Maricopa County Department of Public Health reports 256 heat-related deaths, with 393 more under investigation. Dr. David Sklar, an emergency room physician at Valleywise Health, the county’s large, safety net hospital, says it's still too many people. -
Acting Department of Labor Secretary Julie Su will be in Tucson on Wednesday meeting with local officials and union representatives about proposed federal heat regulations for workers. -
The National Weather Service forecasts highs in the 90s and chances of rain on Saturday and Sunday in metro Phoenix. -
“Standing the Heat” is among a six-part digital series of Indigenous-made films called “Legacy of the Land.” Half of them focus on Arizona tribes.
