CHANDLER — At the Salvation Army on Saragosa Street in Chander, folks can come in and cool off. It is the city's respite center that allows people and their pets to get relief from extreme temperatures and a chance to grab a snack.
“So we see in the respite center about 40-50 people each day,” Chandler Community Resources Senior Manager Riann Balch said. “We’ve been open since June first so we’ve had over 1,100 uses of the center.”
Chandler is using grant money from Maricopa County Human Services to fund 10 cooling centers, including the respite center — which is open on weekdays and stays open on weekends when there is extreme weather as designated by Maricopa County.
“You can come in in the morning, leave in the evening. You can rest, meet with case managers if you have other needs, watch a movie, get some snacks and get everything from sunscreen and hats and other kinds of basic needs.”
With more than 20 straight days of temperatures above 110, the center has been open a lot. There, folks who stop in can even shower and run a load of laundry.
“Really important so people are hot clothes are getting drenched throughout the day so we’re able to wash those, get them a shower and cool them down throughout the day,” Balch said.
The city is always looking for donations like water bottles to help replenish their cooling and respite centers. Right now, they're asking for portable air conditioners.
“Another thing we’re having a really high need for this summer is portable air conditioners to go into people's homes whose A/Cs are breaking down and it's not a quick fix,” Balch said. “We need to just get some cool air in there. So we are taking donations, buying portable A/Cs and lending them out.”
