How to help unsheltered neighbors during Phoenix’s extreme summer heat
The unrelenting summer heat can be deadly for anyone if the right precautions aren’t taken, but for the roughly 5,000 people experiencing unsheltered homelessness in metro Phoenix, the risk of dying from the heat is 200 to 300 times higher.
This year, advocates are more concerned than ever about the number of heat-associated deaths that could occur by the end of the summer.
Although ending this public health and housing crisis will take a coordinated effort across city, county, and state, you can help support one of the city’s most vulnerable populations right now.
In your day-to-day routine
If you feel comfortable doing so, something as simple as checking in on and getting help for unsheltered neighbors you see on the side of the road or at bus stops can be lifesaving, advocates said.
“Be aware that there is a very large, growing, vulnerable population that is living around everyone, and oftentimes they don’t have the resources to call around for help,” said Christopher Pexton, former medical director of outpatient services at Circle the City, a health care provider for people experiencing homelessness.
“If you’re around in the city and you’re seeing people who look like they’re struggling, it can be really helpful and lifesaving to take the time to intervene,” Pexton said.
Some of the warning signs for heat exhaustion include heavy sweating, paleness, dizziness, or nausea and vomiting. See here for more information on how to recognize signs of heat-related illnesses.
Advocates also recommend checking in on people who look like they are sleeping, especially if it is on hot ground. If they are unresponsive or appear extremely dehydrated or overheated, call 911 for emergency medical help.
Right now, calling 911 for emergency help can make a life or death difference, but some advocates hope eventually alternatives to calling the police will be available.
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“The heat crisis in the summer months is a very important example of why we need an alternative to police. If we had a true community response option, it’d be easier for community members to look out for one another. If someone appears to be medically struggling or experiencing a mental health challenge, calling the police department may cause more harm," said Ash Uss, executive director of From the Ground Up, a community-based organization fighting homelessness.
In addition to checking in on people, carrying a cooler full of ice water in your car whenever you go out can be helpful, said Stacey Champion, a longtime advocate for unhoused people. You also can keep snacks, mobile fans, hats or umbrellas, and other heat relief items in your car to hand out.
“Think about what the general person does to stay healthy in the heat and get those items, so water is a component, but so are things like sunglasses, hats, sunscreen, and clothes that are appropriate to the weather,” Pexton said.
Below are some commonly needed items you can keep on hand:
Ice water
Socks
Sunscreen
Hats
Chapstick
Electrolyte powder packets
Soft foods and snacks (e.g., applesauce, tuna, soft cereal bars)
If someone is willing and able to go to a nearby cooling center, calling 211 to order a rideshare for them is an option. 2-1-1 Arizona has a partnership with Lyft to offer free rides to emergency cooling centers and heat relief stations during the summer.
Here is a list of heat relief stations, their hours of operation, and contact information in Maricopa County.
Unsheltered and unhoused in the heat: 'The urgency now is greater than it’s ever been'
Other ways to take action
Dozens of nonprofits, community groups and mutual aid organizations already doing important heat relief work need your support.
Below is a list of 10 organizations and what they currently need:
About: Founded in 1984 by two Holy Cross priests, Andre House offers dinner services, transitional housing, hospitality services, a clothing closet and ministry services to anyone who enters.
Address: 213 S 11th Ave., Phoenix, AZ 85007.
Needs: New or gently used clothing, backpacks, hygiene items and water bottles are ongoing needs. Critical needs for summer include reusable water bottles, men’s underwear and socks, men’s and women’s jeans, conditioner and blankets. Visit Andre House’s website here for a full needs list. You also sign up for volunteering opportunities here.
About: AZ Hugs for the Houseless is an initiative of Arizona Jews for Justice that delivers care packages, food, water, tents and special request items every week to people who are unsheltered in the metro Phoenix area.
Address: 7580 E Gray Road Unit 102, Scottsdale, AZ 85260.
Needs: Donations of general supplies or special request items. See here for a list of special request items you can donate and the most requested essential items. You can donate online here or send a package to Arizona Jews for Justice at the above address.
About: Circle the City is a nonprofit health care provider for people who are experiencing homelessness. It serves more than 8,000 people each year, providing outpatient care, medical respite care and mobile medical care.
Address: Multiple locations in Phoenix.
Needs: Circle the City accepts donations of pre-assembled Kindness Kits — a reclosable zipper plastic bag of hygiene and first-aid supplies. Find more details on how to assemble one here. The nonprofit also needs medical equipment or monetary donations online or by check.
About: Feed Phoenix is a volunteer-run community support organization that is dedicated to ending hunger and food insecurity through direct action, community organizing and intersectional activism. It provides direct cash and supplies such as hygiene items, pet care, period products and more.
Address: Every week, Feed Phoenix hosts community support events throughout the city. You can find the times and addresses here.
Needs: Multiple ways to help include donations, volunteering, or attending a weekly event. There is more information on how to get involved here. A list of special requested items is here.
Feed Phoenix also maintains a network of community support refrigerators through metro Phoenix during the summer. You can find the locations of the fridges on their Instagram account here.
About: The Human Services Campus is a nonprofit that provides a variety of support services and coordinated entry for people experiencing homelessness.
Address: 204 S. 12th Ave., Phoenix, AZ 85007.
Needs: HSC accepts in-kind donations — face masks, laundry detergent, sheets, pillows, adult clothing and heat relief items such as bottled water, sun hats, insulated water bottles, and more — via a scheduled drop off. The contact information to arrange a drop off is here. Find more information about volunteering opportunities here.
About: Justa Center is a nonprofit that provides life-sustaining resources, services and support for seniors who are experiencing homelessness. The center also operates two cooling centers in downtown Phoenix and Glendale.
Address: Multiple locations in Phoenix.
Needs: The center has specific donation needs for different initiatives and facilities that you can find online. Donations can be shipped or dropped off at each of the two cooling centers. You can find hours and addresses here.
The Sidewalk Project Phoenix
About: The Sidewalk Project Phoenix is a local chapter of The Sidewalk Project, which aims to empower houseless individuals and other marginalized communities through art, music, film and harm reduction initiatives. The Sidewalk Project holds weekly mutual aid events where the chapter provides Narcan/naloxone distribution, safer drug use and sex supplies and educational resources or referrals to other resources.
Address: Events throughout Phoenix. Follow The Sidewalk Project here to get updates.
Needs: Donated personal hygiene items, first aid supplies, hot weather items (for example, sunglasses, hats, coolers, reusable water bottles), bottles of water and non-perishable food items. Monetary donations are also accepted here.
About: Social Spin, a community laundromat and non-profit, together with Unsheltered Phoenix, has launched a heat relief program. Social Spin’s two locations both serve as a drop site for donations. They are open from noon to 6 p.m. seven days a week.
Everyone (and their pets) are welcome to stay and cool off at the laundromat for as long as Social Spin is open. There are couches, wifi, a TV with a PlayStation, board games and bathrooms. The space is operated by volunteers, many of whom have lived experiences with being unsheltered.
Addresses: 2418 E. Portland St. Phoenix, AZ 85008 and 1225 E. Southern Ave., Mesa, AZ 85204.
Needs: Water, cooling towels, sunblock, packaged soft snacks (e.g., cheese sticks, applesauce, tuna, popsicles), socks, unwanted clothes and financial contributions for Social Spin’s increased utility bill. The organization also is looking for volunteers to fill heat relief shifts — sign up here. It also is looking for food distribution volunteers between 8 a.m. and noon on Wednesdays to help distribute meals to 120 people every week. Interested volunteers can email hello@socialspinlaundromat.com for more information on how they can help.
The Society of St. Vincent de Paul of Arizona
About: Founded in 1946, the Society of St. Vincent de Paul of Arizona operates dozens of programs across the state for vulnerable Arizonians of all backgrounds, from a resource center that provides one-on-one intake interviews, to heat relief shelters, to a charity dental clinic.
Address: Multiple locations throughout Arizona.
Needs: Water, non-perishable food, new socks and underwear, shoes, blankets, toys, toiletries, diapers. You can organize a community donation drive for the aforementioned items here. There also are multiple individual and group volunteering opportunities, from helping ser to conducting street outreach.
Unsheltered Phoenix: Safe Temp Action
About: Unsheltered Phoenix is a community group that does mutual aid work. In partnership with nonprofit Poder in Action and several other community organizations, members are distributing resources such as coolers, DIY shade structure supplies, mobility aids, battery packs and more for houseless neighbors throughout metro Phoenix.
Address: Events throughout metro Phoenix. Follow its Instagram for updates.
Needs: Last year, the group distributed more than 1,000 coolers to unsheltered neighbors. This year, they want to cover more ground with the goal of distributing 5,000 personal insulated water bottles and coolers. You can donate to this effort online here or sign up here to volunteer.
Coverage of housing insecurity on azcentral.com and in The Arizona Republic is supported by a grant from the Arizona Community Foundation.
Circle the City and the Society of St. Vincent de Paul received grants from 2021's Season for Sharing, the annual fundraising campaign of The Arizona Republic and azcentral.com.
This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: How to help people experiencing homelessness in Phoenix area
