Michael Robinson has been homeless for 27 years.
On the streets of Phoenix, Arizona, he knows most things about survival, but one thing is noticeably more difficult: namely dealing with the fierce heat of summer.
– It’s horrible. It is unbearable. It gets worse every year, and this year it’s really bad, says Robinson to Reuters.
Unwelcome
He knows he is unwelcome in business buildings and shops that have air conditioning, but he goes in anyway to get a few minutes of cooling off.
– People get angry at me, but they must not live out here. I have to, he says.
– 43 DEGREES: Homeless people visit the Justa Center where they can sit in front of a fan while the temperature reaches 43 degrees. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin) Photo: Ross D. Franklin
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In Phoenix, the average temperature in summer is over 40 degrees. Robinson recently suffered a potentially life-threatening heat stroke.
Grim death toll
Fortunately, he was found by the organization “Circle the City”, which provides homeless people with healthcare. They probably prevented Robinson from becoming part of a grim statistic.
Since the beginning of July alone, 17 homeless people have died of heat stroke in Phoenix. 124 other cases are under investigation, according to AFP.
In recent years, the number of homeless people dying from heatstroke and other heat-related illnesses has tripled in Phoenix. This year the statistics are worse than ever.
Never before has the charity seen so many new homeless people on the street, and never before have they seen so many heat-related problems.
– Brent Thurmon is homeless and has just been released from a Tulsa, Oklahoma, hospital for dehydration. He was sent out into the street by a security guard, but was too weak to move any further. Photo: Mike Simons/Tulsa World via AP
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– Here, Brent Thurmon is helped by a friend who drives him home to a mutual friend. Photo: Mike Simons/Tulsa World via AP
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It doesn’t just apply to Arizona; Several US states have had unusually warm summer weather this year.
More homeless people
– The number of people dying now is heartbreaking. We realized that this could happen when we saw how many people became homeless from the beginning of the year. These are people who have never been homeless before, says Marty Hames in Circle the city about the situation in Phoenix.
– People who get heat stroke have to go straight to hospital, so we are well aware of the symptoms. Otherwise, we have to look out for rashes, exhaustion, dehydration, third-degree burns and burns that they can get from walking on, or falling asleep on, hot asphalt, explains Hames.
– PHOENIX, ARIZONA: Several US states have been hit by a heat wave in recent weeks. Photo: MARIO TAMA
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Phoenix is one of the cities in the United States with the most homeless people. In the Sunnyslope district, the tents are crowded, and with the United States in recession and constant heat records, Circle the city fears for the future.
– It looks like the number of homeless people is rising in line with the temperatures, says Hames.
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