As dangerous heat continues in Philadelphia, outreach teams hit the streets with compassion and cold water
As heat indexes push into the triple digits, outreach workers from the nonprofit are walking the streets of Philadelphia to check on people experiencing homelessness — offering cold water, conversation and, if the person is open to it, a ride to a cooling center.
Tracey Sanders has been doing this work for decades. On a sweltering afternoons, he greets people by name, offering both supplies and support.
"My shift is 10 to 6," Sanders said. "Depending on the weather, I do extra hours if I can. I'm always available."
Sanders and his partner, Mike McFadden, make up one of three outreach teams that operate across Philadelphia, according to McFadden. They say their mission becomes even more critical during extreme heat.
McFadden knows what it's like to need this kind of help.
"I was homeless twice in life, so I know how it is," he said. "Yeah, I get hot, but really it's not about me. It's really working for them."
On the Benjamin Franklin Parkway, the two men encountered Curtis Stubbs, 54, who said he has been in and out of homelessness for 20 years.
"I want them to know that I'm out here hurting and I need help," Stubbs said.
Stubbs accepted a bottle of water but declined a ride to a cooling center. Either way, he says he's grateful.
"It means we've got people out here that care," Stubbs said. "Especially in hot weather like this."
Not everyone is ready to go to a shelter — and Sanders says that's something they respect.
"Sometimes they just don't want [anything]," Sanders said. "They're heartbroken."
Still, the team continues.
"We try to encourage them and support them the best way we know how," he said.
Horizon House provides services in Eastern Pennsylvania and Delaware. The nonprofit says between their mental health programs, rehabilitation counseling, specialized housing, and homelessness outreach, they serve over 5,000 people each year.
Heat particularly dangerous for people experiencing homelessness
Dr. Alan Cherney with Jefferson Health said the hot weather can be particularly dangerous for people who are experiencing homelessness.
"We can get some burns, either sun burns obviously from being out in sun, but also when ground gets very hot, anybody who's been on the ground, laying on the ground or doesn't have shoes or proper footwear can get burns directly from that," Cherney said.
Doctors at Jefferson's emergency department say they have seen an uptick in patients with heat-related illnesses this week and expect to see more because the effects of heat are cumulative.
