Your thoughts on heat shelters

[low-key]

I think its a good ideal especially in real hot climates. On a side note, I remember in 72 my dad and mom and my buddy ricky drove to California from Ohio (thru the Mojave and Painted deserts ) in a Dotson , with no AC

 

[Squirlz]

So in the winter they have cold shelters why not have heat ones for when it becomes unbearable hot for the homeless

I'm glad that they have them. Who wouldn't be?

 

[aprilgail]

We use schools as churches all the time so is there a reason why schools cant act like shelters from the heat during summer vacation

None of the schools here are air conditioned- don't know anyone that would want to be in one of those buildings after June!

 

[superme80]

There was one for our 4th of July festivities. I know when it was very hot last year, they opened a few shelters around the Sacramento/Roseville area.

 

[ronandannette]

I'm glad that they have them. Who wouldn't be?

Agree. There are many social support facilities in our city and I agree with your sentiments. The homeless population here largely consists of people who are mentally ill and/or addicted. They cannot or choose not to take advantage of the more long-term shelter options. Sad but true and I don’t know anyone who begrudges them whatever small comfort they can find.

 

[Simba's Mom]

Some places do have heat shelters. Our city does (currently it's 99 degrees with a heat index of 107). Additionally, all our schools and our school buses are air conditioned. And when the heat shelters aren't opened, go in to the public library any day. The homeless know where they can get free air conditioning in our city. They should have access in every city that gets hot.

 

[DisneyOma]

So in the winter they have cold shelters why not have heat ones for when it becomes unbearable hot for the homeless

There are quite a few places a person can go to get AC - an indoor mall, a library, etc. Even an emergency room! While some people might fuss to have a homeless person in these places, they are open to the general public.

It's not fair to the homeless that there is no escape from the heat very few if any places allow anyone to hang out to stay cool during the day

Where are people not allowed? If it is a small business, I could see that it needs to be available to paying customers, but my above list is a start of where to look for some cool air relief.

I can't speak for all schools, but in my city many of the schools don't have air conditioning.

Only one of our schools has AC, and we finally got smart and put our summer school programs all in that one building.

 

[MrsJackSparrow4Life]

My city has one and they just opened it this week (I think it has to break 100 degrees first). I don’t know about anything in the winter but I don’t think we get cold enough to warrant one.

 

[RangerPooh]

Some cities will open temporary "cooling shelters" at school gyms, community centers, or fairgrounds. The city of Memphis, TN will open a few during periods of extreme heat, but not on a daily basic. They often have limited hours and you would still have to travel there. This can be a deterrent for someone whom is homeless. Therefore I think some are intended for use who older individuals who do not have AC.

 

[Lilacs4Me]

We have cooling station here in Chicago

 

[RUDisney]

I'm scratching my head about this. While I agree that there should be places to get out of the extreme heat or cold, I remember growing up with no A/C in the house or cars. No one ever really thought about going somewhere to get cool in the summer. Occasionally, we'd go to the grocery store or mall, but that is because Mom had something specific to buy. We weren't browsers by any means. Why be tempted by what you couldn't afford? Oh, and the A/C-less car had vinyl seats that would burn your butt when you sat on them. Fun times.

What has changed over the years? The homeless population, or climate changes or just people's attitudes towards comfort? I'm not asking because I want to pick a fight with anyone. I'm asking because I'm genuinely curious.

I don't like remembering the days of sweating in our house because it was so hot out. My DD's BFF lives without A/C in her house and her family survives.

I would think the elderly would require these cooling centers even more than the homeless.

 

[Kitty 34]

Lansing is opening up some for this week as the temps get into the 90s. (feel like anyway)

 

[tinkerbellandeeyor]

I'm scratching my head about this. While I agree that there should be places to get out of the extreme heat or cold, I remember growing up with no A/C in the house or cars. No one ever really thought about going somewhere to get cool in the summer. Occasionally, we'd go to the grocery store or mall, but that is because Mom had something specific to buy. We weren't browsers by any means. Why be tempted by what you couldn't afford? Oh, and the A/C-less car had vinyl seats that would burn your butt when you sat on them. Fun times.

What has changed over the years? The homeless population, or climate changes or just people's attitudes towards comfort? I'm not asking because I want to pick a fight with anyone. I'm asking because I'm genuinely curious.

I don't like remembering the days of sweating in our house because it was so hot out. My DD's BFF lives without A/C in her house and her family survives.

I would think the elderly would require these cooling centers even more than the homeless.

1 climate has changed my mom and I where talking about how it was not this hot in the 90s live in the same location I grew up in

2 I remember hearing about healthy people my age I am 34 dying in the heat

3 I dont know why I thought of homeless over senior citizens just was not thinking

 

[RUDisney]

1 climate has changed my mom and I where talking about how it was not this hot in the 90s live in the same location I grew up in

2 I remember hearing about healthy people my age I am 34 dying in the heat

3 I dont know why I thought of homeless over senior citizens just was not thinking

Thank you for responding.

I know that it sure feels hotter than when I was growing up in the 70s. I was attributing that to age and heat not mattering to a kid that much. You're right, though, with the ozone changes and UV intensity, it is hotter now than before.

We don't hear of people dying from the heat around here. It's possibly because we have so many wooded areas where the homeless can go if they really need to get out of the direct sun. I can't imagine being homeless in NYC or Chicago, for example, where you're in a concrete jungle with no place to go for shade.

No worries on the senior citizens vs homeless. I think both would need these services.

 

[fla4fun]

I grew up in Ohio. We were the first family in the neighborhood to have a car with AC (I know for sure our 1970 car had it, but it seems like the one prior had it as well) and up until we moved to Florida in the 80’s, we were the only house in our neighborhood with central air. A few houses had window units in a bedroom or two that were used only at night. We had a full basement, and it always stayed cool down there. That’s why we wanted a basement in Florida. When our AC was out for several weeks one summer here near Orlando, our basement stayed at 72 even though the rest of the house was in the upper 90’s. I think part of the problem is that buildings and homes were built to take advantage of cross ventilation, and today they are designed to be as airtight as possible. The heat needs a way to get out!

 

[Hikergirl]

1 climate has changed my mom and I where talking about how it was not this hot in the 90s live in the same location I grew up in

2 I remember hearing about healthy people my age I am 34 dying in the heat

3 I dont know why I thought of homeless over senior citizens just was not thinking

As someone who grew up without AC, whose first car and apartment didn't have AC in the 90's I can tell you that isn't the case here. There have always been stories of senior citizens dying, and I'm sure there are homeless people out there dying as well but they didn't seem to make the news back then.
Personally, I think it is people's comfort level that has changed and there is nothing wrong with that.

I have no idea if there are an heat shelters in my area, fortunately we do not have a large homeless population here. We do have libraries, and museums and a few other public places one could go to escape the heat.

 

[Cindy's Mom]

Chicago and the surrounding area has heating and cooling shelters. (seniors, homeless, anyone is welcome)

 

[RangerPooh]

1 climate has changed my mom and I where talking about how it was not this hot in the 90s live in the same location I grew up in
2 I remember hearing about healthy people my age I am 34 dying in the heat
3 I dont know why I thought of homeless over senior citizens just was not thinking

I grew up in California, my family did not have AC nor did half our cars. My first two cars did not have AC nor did my first two apartments in the late 90s early 00s. We spent many summers with temps well over 105, where 110+ would be the norm some weeks. I no longer live in California, but do know that it's still hot there in the summers. While climate change can contribute to the heat, I do think that people have more access to things like AC, where it may come standard in some newer buildings/homes, and certainly vehicles.

Heat related deaths have always been in the news, and it predominately featured seniors. While living on the west coast summer heat wave news coverage in places like Chicago always mentioned how important it would be for seniors to seek cooler environments.

 

[Cogswel_Cogs]

If this was common in NY they would.
It's going to 110 here Saturday. Praying for everybody, every animal and the grid.

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

I haven't invested a whole ton into digging where else in my area but our libraries operate as both heat and cool places depending on the time of year.