Palm Springs homeless battling intense heat
Athena Jreij
PALM SPRINGS, Calif. (KESQ) — As temperatures near the hottest parts of the season, Palm Springs’s homeless population is struggling to stay cool.
This week, Palm Springs reached highs of 117 degrees and for one local veteran battling homelesness, it’s been a rude awakening.
“There is support out there, you just really have to find it. You do your best to go out there and provide a blanket of freedom for them to sleep under it and to come out here and see the reality of it, it breaks my heart,” Steven, a local homeless veteran said.
Matt Naylor with Well In The Desert, a local nonprofit that provides free daily meals, says the population they’ve seen has only grown, with 435 people served from January 1 to June 1.
He says cold water and shelter with air conditioning is paramount in keeping people safe, but says accessibility to shelters and cooling centers needs to improve.
“The best thing is to have cooling stations with lots of water that are easy to walk to. So one of the problems is we don’t have enough resources for transportation.”
Unhoused folk say shelters with strict rules about pets and personal belongings also prevent them from seeking help.
News Channel 3 took those concerns to Palm Springs Police, who enforce in the area. Lt. Michael Torres says they have seen the need increase, but it can be difficult providing help to those who don’t want it.
“Homelessness is not just about having a home. It’s about mental health. There’s also a substance abuse aspect to this whole thing. There’s a multi-pronged approach we’re taking,” Lt. Torres said.
Torres says they work with the county to provide mental health and addiction resources, but they need people to accept them before the work starts.
Another problem? The department’s five emergency shelter beds can sometimes fill up, leaving those who want help without a place to sleep.
As temperatures continue to rise, News Channel 3 will continue to follow the impact hot temperatures have on the Valley’s homeless population.
For more information on the city’s cooling centers, visit: https://www.palmspringsca.gov/Home/Components/News/News/7835/23
