Portland charity helps the homeless stay cool, safe during heatwave

PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — Portland's most vulnerable community members during the heatwave include the homeless since health officials say those who are on the street all day are at risk of heat-related illness.

Luckily, charity organizations in the Rose City are already working to keep those surviving without shelter stay cool and safe. At PDX Saints Love, food, water, supplies and a cool space to duck out from the sun are offered to those most in need.

"I come here to get a shower and if they have any food," said John Fields.

Fields said it's thanks to places like this that lives are saved during the dangerously hot temperatures.

"It's very important. We had, you must stay hydrated," he said. "You could, you could die."

While the Fourth of July is a day of celebration for many it also marks the beginning of the National Weather Service's excessive heat warning in the Portland area, which was recently extended. The temperatures are forecasted to reach triple digits for multiple days over the weekend and continue through Monday.

During such an emergency, PDX Saints Love is doing all they can to help by offering a hot meal every day, snacks, sunscreen, misting bottles and even weather-appropriate clothes.

"We actually ran out of shorts and our clothing director is down there making cutoffs out of jeans for folks," said PDX Saints Love Executive Director Kristle Delihanty.

The organization's biggest need for the next few days will be collecting more bags of ice to help people cool off.

"So people just coming through throughout the days over the next four or five days, dropping off ice would be amazing," Delihanty said.

The cooling shelter at PDX Saints Love, located at 247 SE 82nd Ave., will be open until Sunday. Supplies will continue being passed out until Tuesday unless the dangerous heat is forecasted to continue past that point.

More information about hours of operations, and additional Lents Neighborhood locations with cooling services, can be found on PDX Saints Love's Instagram post. Multnomah County has also announced daytime cooling center locations in Portland and Gresham that will open on Friday.