There are lots of things to be grateful for, but cold water on a hot day is something else.
For the past few days, outreach specialists in D.C. have mobilized to provide resources to the homeless population of the city that face the brunt of the heat wave all day and night.
The teams of outreach specialists monitored areas where those who are experiencing homelessness are known to congregate.
One such team circled Union Station on Wednesday in search of people who might be in distress from the heat.
“We’re really out just making sure everyone is staying safe, everyone who’s unsheltered across the city,” said Jerod Lee, a homeless outreach supervisor for the D.C. Department of Human Services. “We’re passing out water due to the extreme heat, making sure they’re hydrated, making sure they know where the resources are if they want to go inside a shelter.”
DHS coordinates with a number of agencies in the District, including Homeland Security and Emergency Management Agency, in activating cooling centers across the city during heat emergencies.
DHS is also critical in arranging transportation with the D.C. Department of Transportation for individuals who want to go to a cooling center and do not have reliable transportation.
“It means a lot, I mean you don’t really get too much as far as people coming out to check on your personal well-being,” said Christopher Hines, who sometimes stays in a tent near Union Station. “It feels good to have the government come out asking about the heat and people falling out, because a lot of us sleep in tents.”
“The sun beats down on the ground for a couple hours, gets 100, 200 degrees easy on the blacktop,” Hines added. “And you got people who are mentally ill sleeping out on that, sleeping in sleeping bags, in clothes on the hot ground.”
Another critical function DHS provides during heat emergencies in promoting heat safety awareness through its social media sites and by direct interaction with people.
“We do this by going out to encampments, and, more importantly, we partner with several different agencies, such as the mayor’s office, (the Department of Behavioral Health) and the (deputy mayor for Health and Human Services),” said Ted Joseph, a homeless outreach specialist with DHS.
Officials cannot force an individual seek help or shelter, so they focus on developing relationships with many chronically homeless people and keep checking on them.
“Rapport is a very important aspect of what we do,” Joseph said. “A lot of these individuals have suffered through mental health and personal issues in the past. So, the most important thing is to build their trust.”
“Whenever somebody shows me kindness in any way, I know ultimately it comes from the Holy Father,” said an unidentified man who sat on a curb outside the National Postal Museum. “So, praise God, I’m grateful!”
If you encounter someone who may be in distress because of the heat, call 911. If you are aware of a homeless person who might need help, call 311 or the D.C. Shelter Hotline at 202-399-7093. To learn more about resources available during heat emergencies, visit heat.dc.gov.
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