The Heat

It's hot here in Ft Worth and will probably stay this way for a few more months. This is the time of year when all of us out here on the street look for some place cooler during the heat of the day. Of course it doesn't get much more comfortable even at night when the temperature seldom gets below 80 degrees.

Many of the folks out here can be found in several places during the day. There will be some who like me will spend time at one of the libraries. Most of them can be found at the main branch downtown but I prefer the smaller and quieter branch library that is near my camp.

Other people will go to places like the Salvation Army who runs a cooling center during the hot periods. Other places to go are various shopping malls although security will watch you. The "T" buses are also a good option. If you have the money to buy a day pass you can ride on any bus anywhere around town all day. I actually have done this many times and it's a good way to see different parts of the city. Of course there is always the Day Resource Center on Lancaster Ave but that place has limited space and is always full. Some of the homeless folks even hang out in the public areas of one of the hospitals. I've done this too from time to time. Even if you are not riding a bus the lobby of the Intermodal Transportation Center is another possibility.

Even with those places I've mentioned there are many homeless who cannot or will not go indoors. For those people a shady spot is the best they have. Of course a lot of water is necessary when you spend any kind of time outdoors. When I'm at camp and I start getting too hot I have a nice cool creek to sit in. Not so for many others. If I'm moving around or going somewhere in particular I always carry water with me but I see many people who for what ever reason never seem to have water with them. I don't know how they do it. Fortunately I have been stopped by different people who have offered me a cold bottle of water several times whether I'm walking or riding my bike. Every time this happens I consider it another blessing.

Whether the homeless can get into a cool place during the heat of the day can be somewhat problematic. First off they have to get there. Of course many never travel far from some of the cooling centers. But even so there is limited space available at many of those centers and they must limit the number of people. Then there are the public places like stores and malls where the homeless have to deal with security or just rude and inconsiderate people. Even the library, especially the main branch downtown can present problems.

As you can see, homeless people do have some options for avoiding the heat. Mostly they can't and endure as best they can. There are people out there who carry bottled water just so they can help the homeless during these times. For those people and the organizations who set up cooling centers as well as the public places who tolerate the homeless I can only say thank you.