A significant heat wave lasting two weeks killed more than 30 people in 2005.
Several organizations came together the next year to provide water during the hot summer months in what would later be known as the Maricopa Association of Governments Heat Relief Network. Several locations were in downtown Phoenix.
“There was an increase in the amount of homeless individuals that were dying due to heat-related deaths,” said Kristina Blea, who oversees the Heat Relief Network for the entire region. “Every year it continues to grow. We have more agencies get involved. It’s morphed into providing hydration not just for the homeless but also for vulnerable individuals within the county.”
Heat Relief Network hydration stations are equipped not only with water but also sunscreen, bandanas and hats.
“We have three locations where we accept the [water] donations, which are our three family service centers,” Blea said. Those locations include Travis L. Williams Family Services Center, John F. Long Center and Sunnyslope.
Blea said the Heat Relief Network involves the community in multiple ways.
“Primarily we involve the community with donations,” Blea said. “We have individuals that can donate. We have many large organizations that hold water drives and contact the city of Phoenix so we can go pick up the water. We can definitely take donations from city of Phoenix residents.”
Volunteers also assist at the hydration stations. For locations such as Salvation Army Citadel, which only opens during extreme heat advisories, volunteers are crucial, as those conditions are unpredictable.
“It’s usually two volunteers at each station,” Salvation Army Southwest Division public relations director Melany Stroupe said.
The Grace Lutheran Church station is one exception.
“Our site’s slightly different in that we’re a refuge station,” outreach coordinator richard ricketts said. “Anyone can come in. There’s no qualifications. You don’t have to believe anything. You don’t have to show any idea or anything. If you come in and you need some water, we have it available. We serve a breakfast at nine, a lunch at noon and a snack at three.”
Ricketts said the Grace Lutheran Church station usually puts out about 640 bottles of water in a day.
Ricketts said the space isn’t just a place to get food and water.
“The space is available for during the day folks can sleep. We play movies for those who are awake. Then we have service providers including healthcare, some people for yoga, some people who play music, just different people who want to donate their time and share things.”
“Roughly 175 people a day come through here,” ricketts said. “Over the 60 days we are open, there would be about 11,000 people.”
Ricketts said the Grace Lutheran Church refuge station had roughly 160 volunteers this year with close to 3,000 hours of volunteer work.
Stroupe mentioned one future goal for the Heat Relief Network, especially for stations that only open during heat advisories.
“What we hope to do is open multiple days when there’s not a heat advisory. That’s something long term we’ll have a conversation about.”
Heat Relief Network sites opened in May and stay open through September. For more information go to https://www.phoenix.gov/humanservices/programs/volunteer/heat-relief.
Contact the columnist at Holly.Bernstein@asu.edu.
