{"id":6337,"date":"2026-07-03T11:03:55","date_gmt":"2026-07-03T11:03:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/orlandorelocationreport.com\/?p=6337"},"modified":"2026-07-03T11:03:55","modified_gmt":"2026-07-03T11:03:55","slug":"central-florida-cooling-centers-open-as-homeless-brace-for-the-summer-heat","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/orlandorelocationreport.com\/?p=6337","title":{"rendered":"Central Florida cooling centers open as homeless brace for the summer heat"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Earlier this week, as temperatures rose, Greg Harris sat at a table in a church off Orange Blossom Trail working on a word search puzzle, eating fruit snacks and delighting in the air conditioning.<\/p>\n

Read more Orlando Sentinel 150: Friday Flashback to July 4 parade in 1886<\/a><\/p>\n

The 74-year-old veteran has been homeless for three months, sleeping in a wooded area near downtown Orlando. It is not so bad at night, he said. But during the day, the heat is unbearable. Somedays, he rides the train back and forth from downtown to Kissimmee just for the air conditioning.<\/p>\n

But this week, he had another option. When temperatures reach a certain point, Orange County opens cooling centers, like the one at the church, and then Harris doesn\u2019t have to travel so far to escape the heat.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s a place where you can go and just be cool, chill out without the sun,\u201d he said. \u201cThis is a blessing.\u201d<\/p>\n

In June, municipalities across Central Florida opened cooling centers for the first time this season. These are air-conditioned spaces \u2014 in churches, nonprofits and libraries \u2014 where the homeless are invited in to sit out the hottest part of the day. When the centers are open, Lynx provides free bus service for people to get to them.<\/p>\n

In previous years, cooling centers in Central Florida didn\u2019t open until the heat index reached 108 degrees, the threshold that the National Weather Service has set for a heat advisory. The heat index, the agency says, is what the temperature feels like to the human body when relative humidity is combined with the air temperature.<\/p>\n

In May, Orange County lowered its threshold to 103, worried that too many were suffering in the region\u2019s hot and humid weather. At the time, Orange Mayor Jerry Demings called the matter a \u201cpublic safety and health issue.\u201d<\/p>\n

The threshold in Seminole and Osceola counties, however, is still 108.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\u201cThe 103-and-above heat index is really hard on our seniors, or on anyone, really, because even the younger people, I see them struggling,\u201d said Mel Camarillo, a volunteer at Service and Love Together, or SALT, the nonprofit that operates the cooling center in the church where Harris goes.<\/p>\n

But Osceola officials insist the heat index threshold isn\u2019t a big deal since the majority of their cooling centers are in libraries, which are open regardless of the temperature.<\/p>\n

Finding a place for the homeless to rest is an ongoing challenge for officials in Central Florida, as the area\u2019s homeless population has outpaced its shelter capacity. A state law, new in 2025, that requires municipalities to ban camping in public spaces and subjects anyone caught sleeping in a public space to arrest has made it even more difficult for the homeless to find respite.<\/p>\n

SALT\u2019s center is in a space it leases from Powerhouse Church that fits 15 people. The nonprofit also operates a drop-in center on the property where the homeless can go for a shower, to do their laundry, to get free hygiene products and clothing and to talk with caseworkers who try to connect them with other social services.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

For its cooling center, SALT prioritizes those over age 55, a growing and vulnerable segment of Central Florida\u2019s homeless population.<\/p>\n

Harris said he is diabetic and has a heart condition, so has to be extra careful not to get overheated.<\/p>\n

Read more Families of wrongly convicted Groveland Four offer thanks for $4M state compensation<\/a><\/p>\n

\u201cI know when I\u2019m getting ready to go down, and I got to get out of the heat,\u201d Harris said.<\/p>\n

On Tuesday, the heat index reached 103 and Harris was able to go into the cooling center. But the next day, the heat index peaked at 100, so the centers were closed, and Harris and others had to find other means of staying cool.<\/p>\n

Julianne Johnson, 55, was passing through Orlando on a bus from California two weeks ago, she said, and got stranded after her wallet and phone were stolen. With no money for a place to stay, she is sleeping outside.<\/p>\n

Her ankles are swollen, she said, due to the heat and her high blood pressure and sleeping on concrete exacerbates an old spinal injury. She goes to SALT\u2019s drop-in center each morning to shower and do laundry. If the cooling center is open, she\u2019ll then sit inside for hours sipping coffee and chatting with staff.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe have heat in California, but you\u2019re not soaking wet,\u201d she said, referencing the humidity. \u201cIf it wasn\u2019t for this cooling center, I\u2019d probably be in the hospital.\u201d<\/p>\n

Don Thomas, 50, has been living on the streets for close to four years, he said. Since SALT\u2019s cooling center is reserved for those 55 and older, he is not allowed inside. But SALT has a courtyard in the back of the church. The area is tented for shade and offers chairs, an ice machine, water and large industrial fans. It\u2019s also where the showers and laundry facilities are.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn some ways, this is also a cooling center,\u201d said Kathleem Jorge, SALT\u2019s homeless outreach director. \u201cAs the temperatures rise, a lot more people need access to showers. They\u2019re like, \u2018I don\u2019t want hot water. I just want a cold shower because it\u2019s been getting so hot\u2019.\u201d<\/p>\n

SALT\u2019s drop-in center at Powerhouse serves about 100 people each day, including Thomas. They sit in the courtyard, waiting for their laundry or their turn in the shower. The shade and the fan help.<\/p>\n

\u201cEverybody gets frustrated when there\u2019s heat. It ain\u2019t pretty,\u201d Thomas said. \u201cThey don\u2019t know what to do, don\u2019t know where to go. They want to get mad. They want to argue. They want to do all kinds of stuff.\u201d<\/p>\n

Jorge said the staff is trained to keep an eye out for people who appear to be in extreme duress and will offer them a chance to sit inside, if possible.<\/p>\n

\u201cBut, of course, we have limited space,\u201d Jorge said.<\/p>\n

Both SALT and the Homeless Services Network of Central Florida are looking for supplies to help those without housing deal with the heat, including water bottles, towels and electrolyte packets. The Homeless Services Network has an Amazon Wishlist for those who want to donate.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt just keeps getting hotter and hotter,\u201d Jorge said. \u201cSo we\u2019re trying to do as much as we humanly can with the limited resources that we have.\u201d<\/p>\n

Read more Today in History: July 3, beloved TV sheriff Andy Griffith dies<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

As summer sets in, Central Florida’s homeless population seeks refugee from soaring temperatures and humidity in county-designated cooling centers.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":6336,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[18],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-6337","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-local-news"],"yoast_head":"\nCentral Florida cooling centers open as homeless brace for the summer heat - Orlando Relocation Report<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/orlandorelocationreport.com\/?p=6337\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Central Florida cooling centers open as homeless brace for the summer heat - 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