As record-breaking heat scorches Central Florida this summer, one Orlando-based nonprofit has rolled out a new solution for those who may lack the means to cool down.
The Christian Services Center opened its doors to air-conditioned spaces at two of its locations this season. The service is available once the heat index hits 103 degrees and holds that way for three hours.
Executive Director Eric Gray said the staff looked to other organizations across the U.S. to guide their decisions on the implementation of these new heat emergency services.
While the organization is 52 years old, Gray said they redirected its mission to serving the rising homeless community in Orlando just three years ago. It has been a process, and the staff is still learning, with heat being just one of the challenges.
"It was not really until last summer that we started noticing things happening and honestly didn’t put them together as fast as we should have," Gray said. "One of them was, we were seeing visits from ambulances more often in the summer. And then, we had a number of people come in with bare feet, and they had burns on their feet.”
Gray said he wishes they had understood the need for these heat-related services much sooner.
“I've had to identify way too many people under white sheets, and I’d prefer not to have to do that again," he said. "We have ambulances visiting our property two, three times a day, particularly more in the summer times because people are having heart attacks, they’re having seizures, they're having diabetic shock.”
Other agencies have enacted their own plans for extreme weather, such as Seminole County Public Libraries, which open to anyone who needs relief from the heat.
Lillian Hernández Caraballo is a Report for America corps member.
