TUCSON, Ariz. (KGUN) — As record-breaking heat grips Tucson this week, local agencies are expanding services aimed at protecting people experiencing homelessness from dangerous temperatures.
The Salvation Army Tucson, in partnership with Pima County, opened its Hospitality House as a temporary cooling center beginning Thursday. The center is scheduled to operate through Sunday, March 22, offering relief during an unseasonably hot stretch that forecasters say could challenge daily temperature records.
Cooling centers are a key public-safety response during extreme heat events in Southern Arizona, where prolonged exposure can lead to heat exhaustion or heatstroke. Local officials routinely urge residents to stay hydrated, avoid strenuous outdoor activity during peak afternoon hours and check on vulnerable neighbors.
At the Hospitality House, guests can access air-conditioned rest areas, basic hygiene services and meals designed to help them recover from time spent outdoors.
“For the people outside, people that they need to be cooled down,” said Andres Espinoza, a city coordinator with the Salvation Army. “They come to the Hospitality house, between 11 a.m. and 5 p.m. And we have a cot like this one so they can rest, cool down. We have showers, we have laundry. And also we have a hot lunch for them.”
Espinoza added that visitors are also given food to take with them when the facility closes each evening.
“When they go out at 5 o’clock, we provide a sack lunch for them also,” he said.
Officials say residents seeking more information about heat-relief resources can find updates through local government and nonprofit websites as temperatures remain elevated through the weekend.
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Eddie Celaya is a multimedia journalist at KGUN 9. Born in Tucson and raised in the Phoenix area, Eddie is a life-long Arizonan and graduate of the University of Arizona who loves the desert and mountains and hates the cold. Previously, Eddie worked in print media at the Arizona Daily Star. Share your story ideas with Eddie at edward.celaya@kgun9.com, or by connecting on Facebook or Instagram.
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