Temperatures are expected to stay in the triple digits for the next few days. For the unhoused population in metro Phoenix that means finding a place to cool off — at least until the evening.
Justa Center is a day center in Phoenix for older homeless adults — a reprieve from the streets and starting in May or June, a break from the heat. But due to March’s record-breaking temperatures, Justa Center is extending their hours from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. — and they’ll also allow the general unhoused population inside.
“Typically, we only work with seniors who are experiencing homelessness, but we want to be open and available to provide water and sack lunches to folks who need a break while on the streets,” said
Dean Scheinert, Justa Center’s executive director.
Those extended hours will go through Sunday.
And thanks to a new contract with Phoenix, Justa Center will stay open even longer starting in May — until 9 p.m.
“We have a contract with the city of Phoenix starting on May 1 to be a heat relief and navigation site. Typically, our extended hours with Maricopa County started on June 1 and ran through the end of September. Now that we have the contract with the city, it's going to start May 1 and [go through] Sept. 30 — so that's an extra month.”
Scheinert says that an extra month is a big deal because of how intense the heat is.
