Goodyear among cities working to save Valley homeless from heat deaths
130 homeless people died in Maricopa County from heat causes in 2021
By Phoenix Rescue Mission
Posted 5/5/22
As temperatures rise, Valley cities, including Goodyear, are pitching in to support Phoenix Rescue Mission’s Code:Red Summer Heat Relief Campaign to help prevent heat-related deaths among the …
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As temperatures rise, Valley cities, including Goodyear, are pitching in to support Phoenix Rescue Mission’s Code:Red Summer Heat Relief Campaign to help prevent heat-related deaths among the Valley’s rising homeless population.
According to Maricopa County, at least 130 individuals experiencing homelessness died from heat-related causes in 2021. The nonprofit’s goal is to protect our most vulnerable population by collecting and distributing one million bottles of water.
From May 1 through August 31, PRM is providing essential resources to sustain the city’s homeless population, such as nonperishable food and water supplies. Ahead of this Valley-wide undertaking, the Mission is seeking monetary, nonperishable food and water donations. Monetary donations will be matched up to $150,000, made possible by a grant by several supporters of Phoenix Rescue Mission.
“During the summer months in Phoenix, asphalt can heat up to a deadly 170 degrees. Anything above 104 degrees can cause brain damage and death,” said Phoenix Rescue Mission CEO Ken Brissa. “While many Valley residents find respite indoors, our unhoused neighbors cannot take shelter from the heat and need help that can come to them.”
Other municipalities, including Avondale, Surprise, Peoria, Glendale, El Mirage, and Scottsdale, have created partnerships with the Mission, bringing relief to the streets in the Mission’s Hope Coach vehicles to distribute water, toiletries and case management services.
“Anything helps in this undertaking to save and change lives, whether it’s through a small monetary donation, dropping off a case of water or starting a water drive,” said Brissa. “This is so much more than a handout of water. This is arming people with the tools to change their lives and move out of harm’s way.”
Food, water, and all other heat-relief donations can be dropped off at the Mission’s Donation Warehouse, located at 2515 N. 34th Drive in Phoenix. The Mission is also in need of volunteers to help distribute vital, nutritious food to families in need at its Hope for Hunger Food Bank in Glendale.
For more information or to start your own Code:Red drive, contact Catie Hammann at gikhelp@phxmission.org or 602-346-3347.
