Belleville opens four cooling sites during extreme heat, but do they really help?
Cooling sites can provide relief from summertime heat for those who don’t have easy access to air conditioning, but a metro-east advocate for homeless people says providing temporary shelter from weather extremes doesn’t go far enough to protect those who most vulnerable.
The National Weather Service has issued heat advisory for most of the metro-east on Tuesday and Wednesday and excessive heat warnings for counties to the north. High temperatures both days in St. Clair and Madison counties will reach the upper 90s with head indices over 100 degrees.
The forecast will trigger the opening of four cooling sites in Belleville, but Jesse Arms, a local advocate for homeless people that has worked with others to establish shelters in the past, said cooling and warming sites were meant to be a first step for Belleville, not the answer to a growing need.
“I’m going to make the long story short: it’s my assessment ... that putting our energy, time, and money into cooling and heating centers was not the way to go,” she said.
According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), multiple groups can be affected by the heat, such as athletes, outdoor workers, people with illnesses, older people and children. But, according to NOAA, homeless people are disproportionately affected by the elements, particularly heat.
Since few actively use the local cooling sites and since heat becomes a danger before they open and advisories are issued, Arms says it’s fair to wonder how many people they really help.
Arms said creating a permanent, well-supervised, and always-open shelter would be more effective and help a greater number of people, even when the weather is nice.
“(The sites) don’t provide enough service for the energy it takes volunteers to run them,” Arms said.
Cooling sites and hours
There are four cooling sites in Belleville:
- The Salvation Army at 20 Glory Place
- Programs and Services for Older Persons at 201 N. Church St.
- Belleville Public Library at 121 E. Washington St.
- The library’s west branch at 3414 W. Main St.
The library’s regular 8 p.m. closing is the latest any of the sites are open. None of them are open on Sundays, and two of the sites are closed on Saturday.
Employees at the Belleville Public Library said they were unsure of how many people use the main branch as a cooling site, but that homeless people visit frequently regardless of the temperature.
Carla Boswell, Programs and Services for Older Persons’ site manager, said they rarely get many people in to use the facility as a cooling site. If they do, however, she said they provide water bottles and seating alongside the cool air.
Kara Moore, a volunteer and intake specialist for the Salvation Army in Belleville, said the site usually gets around five to 10 people that come in to get shelter from the heat. There are more when the facility is activated as a warming site in the winter, she said.
Risks before warnings
On Aug. 6, Belleville Mayor Patty Gregory opened up the cooling sites following a heat advisory from the National Weather Service. On that day, the temperature was in the 90s, and the heat index reached 107 degrees. The next day, a cold front came through and the temperature dropped nearly 20 degrees, so the sites were deactivated.
Cooling sites are only opened if the National Weather Service issues a heat advisory, as is forecast this week. That means the heat index is expected to reach at least 100 degrees and night temperatures won’t drop below 75 degrees for two days, according to the weather service’s website.
But, Lydia Jaja, a meteorologist for the National Weather Service, said the risk of heat-induced illness begins before warnings and advisories are issued.
“Some people think just because it’s not 100 degrees outside, it isn’t bad,” Jaja said. “But emphasizing the danger of prolonged exposure (to heat) is really important.”
To avoid heat-related illnesses, people need to take frequent breaks out of the heat, drink plenty of water and wear sunscreen, Jaja said. She also said people need to do regular checkups on others who may be more vulnerable.
What about winter cold?
All the same issues apply to temporary warming sites when the winter turns cold, Arms says.
According to the city of Belleville’s website, warming centers open when windchill is equal to negative 15 degrees or the stagnant air temperature is at 15 degrees. That’s not soon enough to reduce risks of exposure for homeless people, Arms said.
“When it’s 40 degrees outside, it’s really cold,” she said.
And winter temperatures tend to fall at night, after the sites have closed, she noted.
