Adam Brockington is a 42-year-old man who has been homeless since 2017. He is currently staying at Central Arizona Shelter Services (CASS) but must leave during the day.
Brockington said he fell onto extremely hot concrete in the summer of 2017, suffered third-degree burns on his arms, and ended up in the hospital for a few days.
“This summer pushed me to my physical and emotional limit,” he said in an interview. “Being able to stay at CASS overnight helped me, but they made me leave during the day, and the only nearby cooling center was by Burton Barr Library and was always full when I went there.”
While temperatures are finally cooling down across the Valley, Phoenix’s hottest day this summer was 118 degrees, recorded twice in July. As temperatures in Phoenix hit record highs each year, cooling centers are
crucial resources for the homeless community, providing shelter, hydration, and support.
However, with many facilities reaching capacity, advocates are committed to urgent improvements to ensure that no one is left vulnerable to life-threatening heat.
One of these advocates is Kim Beaudoin, marketing and communications manager for Keys to Change, a nonprofit organization fighting homelessness in Phoenix.
“Cooling centers are an incredible and much-needed resource. Yet there are still barriers to access—limited hours of operation, distance from public transportation, stigma, and pushback from local businesses,” Beaudoin said.
“The unhoused population is out in the heat all day, every day. We see first- and second-degree burns from prolonged contact with the asphalt, as well as extreme dehydration, heat exhaustion, and heat stroke,” they said in an interview.
Beaudoin added that in 2023, 645 individuals were lost to the heat in Maricopa County—nearly half were experiencing homelessness.
Keys to Change hosts a wide range of events to spread information on these significant issues while also collecting donations to help the homeless.
“Keys to Change’s annual Thirst Aid Campaign makes it easy to set up local drives in your community. Anyone can run their own drives with the help of the Thirst Aid toolkit. You can collect cases of water and other supplies or create your own crowdfunding landing page to share with a wider network,” Beaudoin pointed out.
They added, “We need more centers, with better geographic coverage and longer hours. We need overnight centers.”
Keyera Williams is the heat response and mitigation officer with the City of Phoenix and provided valuable insight into city efforts to help the homeless in the heat during an interview. Williams noted that some efforts included extending the hours of several heat relief centers for those seeking a cool indoor place and hydration. Phoenix has the only respite center in the state that operates 24/7 and three cooling centers that remain open until 10 p.m. during the summer.
“This summer, the City of Phoenix did more for heat relief than ever before. The city planned ahead of the summer months by developing and initiating its 2024 Heat Response Plan, which features a variety of initiatives to keep residents and visitors safe,” she said.
Edited by Shi Bradley
