With temperatures regularly reaching triple digits, extreme weather has started to threaten the Coachella Valley. That means the region’s most vulnerable residents, including people who are homeless, will have to contend with scorching heat, especially if they do not have anywhere to go during the day.
Here’s a look at what cities around the valley are doing to help and where people can go to stay safe during the daytime heat.
Palm Springs extends one cooling center’s hours
Officials in Palm Springs took action during a meeting the night of Wednesday, June 24. The city council voted to extend the hours of its Access Center at 225 E. Cielo Road to 10 p.m., which would provide shelter for people late into the afternoon and evening.
“The need is overwhelming,” Councilmember Grace Garner said after a presentation on homelessness statistics in Palm Springs by Martha’s Village and Kitchen, the operator of the city’s homeless resources. “But there is also amazing numbers here of just the success that is occurring.”
Over the past 12 months, Martha’s Village and Kitchen has served 1,320 people in its three Palm Springs facilities, according to the report.
Each of its three facilities provides a different type of service. The Access Center provides public showers, help with employment and education, and cooling during the day. While the Early Entry Facility and Navigation Center on McCarthy Road, which are not drop-in facilities, have both emergency overnight beds and transitional housing for qualified individuals.
By extending the hours of the Access Center into the night, the city expects to incur an annual cost of $171,700, which would enable Martha’s Village to hire more staff.
Despite the added cost, the council appeared sympathetic to the difficulties of being without shelter during the summer months.
Heat waves in the Coachella Valley can be deadly. In 2024, The Desert Sun reported that 10 people had died of heat exposure during a roughly two-week period in July 2023. During that time, daytime temperatures regularly exceeded 115 degrees, while nighttime lows only descended to the high 80s.
The council also agreed to look into expanding the hours of the Access Center to 24/7, which would come with a $334,877 annual price tag.
Because of its extreme summer heat, the Coachella Valley already has daytime cooling centers in most cities. Below is a list of available resources throughout the valley.
Cathedral City cooling center
Coachella cooling center
Desert Hot Springs cooling centers
Indio cooling centers
La Quinta cooling center
Palm Desert cooling centers
Palm Springs cooling centers
This article originally appeared on Palm Springs Desert Sun: Escape heat in Palm Springs area with these daytime cooling centers
Reporting by Sam Morgen, Palm Springs Desert Sun / Palm Springs Desert Sun
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Sam Morgen, Palm Springs Desert Sun | USA TODAY Network
