Blanchet House in Old Town needs donations of water bottles to distribute to people experiencing homelessness as temperatures near 100 degrees over the next two days
For the first time in the 130 days since Multnomah County commissioners declared a state of emergency due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, temperatures are forecast to near or surpass 100 degrees. The heat wave expected this Sunday and Monday will hit at a time when many indoor respites from the heat people experiencing homelessness normally rely on are unavailable.
In response, Blanchet House, a nonprofit that typically serves free daily meals for people in need in Old Town, is rushing to find donations of reusable water bottles for clients, many of whom are homeless. The organization put out a call for donations earlier this week.
A lack of tree canopy coverage and masses of heat absorbing surfaces like pavement in some areas of downtown will likely make the effects of the heat much worse.
“The need for hydration around the streets in Old Town is significant. There’s not a lot of shade; there’s not a lot of access to water,” said Scott Kerman, executive director at Blanchet House.
In a heat advisory issued for much of northwestern Oregon area Friday, the National Weather Service recommends staying in air-conditioned spaces and out of the sun. But libraries and other public spaces that typically provide those cooler conditions for people sleeping outside remain closed due to the pandemic.
Kerman is concerned the extreme weather could exacerbate mental health issues in Old Town, where a portion of the city’s houseless population has congregated in camps during the pandemic.
Blanchet House has 200 water bottles to disseminate to clients, but Kerman believes the demand will likely outweigh that number. Blanchet House will have pitchers of water on-site as it continues to provide clothing, phone charging and food services at a distance through the building’s doorway.
Providing water bottles is a new service, Kerman said, spurred by concern over the lack of access to shade and air conditioning under social distancing measures and widespread closures.
People who want to help are encouraged to drop off donations of new or sanitized water bottles and bottled water at Blanchet House at 310 NW Glisan St. this weekend.
“I think we really need to be, as a community, thinking about these extreme days. Before we know it, it will be winter, and if we’re still under these conditions, what are we going to do when the temperatures get to freezing?” Kerman said.
Sunday and Monday, temperatures in parts of Portland are expected to present a “high risk for much of the population, especially those who are heat sensitive and those without effective cooling and/or adequate hydration,” according to the National Weather Service Heat Risk map.
But, it won’t be quite hot enough to spur Multnomah County to open cooling centers, which provide air conditioning at no cost for those who need it during the summertime in Portland.
The county typically doesn’t open the centers until temperatures present a “very high risk” by National Weather Service standards to all populations due to heat duration and lack of decreasing temperatures at night, said Chris Voss, Multnomah County director of emergency management.
The pandemic and social distancing requirements won’t stop cooling centers from opening altogether this summer, however, Voss said.
He said cooling centers usually see little traffic. But, closures of most common spaces, including senior centers, will likely change that this summer.
“You might find air conditioning in other ways that this year might not be as readily available. So obviously that would be a factor for us as well,” he said.
The Joint Office of Homeless Services, run by both the city of Portland and Multnomah County, will expand the capacity of its street outreach teams this weekend, spokesperson Denis Theriault said, in order to deliver food and supplies to homeless people while the temperatures are high.
A downtown supply center with food and water established this spring will be accessible to the teams 24 hours a day for street outreach teams.
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