Maricopa County officials have confirmed five heat-related deaths so far this year and are investigating 165 more. Those numbers are about 37% higher than they were at the same point last year, in spite of cooler temperatures.
The Maricopa County Department of Public Health reports four of the five confirmed deaths involved substance use and two deaths were among unhoused people. All five deaths occurred outdoors.
Mark Lebario does street outreach with the Phoenix Rescue Mission. He said he sees firsthand how the Valley’s homeless population struggles in the summer.
“Being depleted from food and then sleep and not really resting, and then you’ve got addiction on top, or alcohol, it’s just a recipe for disaster,” Lebario said. “People are just dying out there.”
Maricopa County, the city of Phoenix, and other municipalities have made major investments in heat relief over the past few years. And the average temperature this June was more than three degrees cooler than last June’s average.
But more people may be vulnerable to extreme heat this year, as Maricopa County’s unsheltered homeless population continues to grow. Data from the latest Point-in-Time homelessness count shows the number of people living on the streets across the Valley grew by 28% this year as federal funding sources expired for more than 1,000 shelter beds.
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