SPOKANE, Wash. — As the Pacific Northwest heat wave continues to scald Spokane, a local organization is taking steps to ensure those experiencing homelessness have a safe place to cool off.
Jewels Helping Hands (JHH), a local homeless advocacy group, set up a large cooling tent at the homeless encampment located near I-90 and Freya. Construction of the tents began on Tuesday and was completed and ready to use by Wednesday afternoon.
The tent can hold up to 200 people at a time, providing relief to a large portion of the people currently living at the camp.
At last count, more than 600 people reported living at the encampment, according to Julie Garcia, JHH Executive Director.
Chris Sen is one of the people living on the state-owned property. He said he has lived in a tent on the camp for the past four months and relies on rivers and splash pads to cool off.
"It is excruciating. You cannot stay cool. I mean, we're taking ice water and pouring it on ourselves to try to cool down works for a couple of minutes," Sen said. "And then you're right back to like, you see, I'm sweating and it's hot."
Sen said some campers have transportation to go to the river or one of the local splash pads on a hot day. However, Sen and other campers now won't have to go as far to get relief from the heat.
With triple-digit temperatures predicted through the rest of the week, Garcia said she wanted to step in to support the vulnerable people living nearby.
"Any Tent City would need this," she said. "I mean, it's a lifesaver. You know, in triple digits, people die in the seat. So I love it."
Garcia said the Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) is aware of the cooling tents, but JHH did not receive an official permit. While WSODT does not permit the activity on WSDOT land, Joe McHale told KREM 2 the department does not want anyone to have a medical emergency on its property.
McHale added WSDOT understands people need relief from the heat through the weekend and won't be getting in the way of the services JHH provides.
The Empire Health Foundation is paying for the tent and JHH is paying security to staff the tent and walk through the camp.
The tent will operate at the homeless encampment for the next 10 days.
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