Heat warning prompts Sacramento to open new homeless weather respite center for first time
The city of Sacramento this week will open its new homeless weather respite center for the first time.
The city will open the center, located at 3615 Auburn Blvd. near Watt Avenue, from noon to 8 p.m. on Thursday, Friday and Saturday. The center will have space for 50 people at a time, along with pets, snacks, and space for device recharging, a city blog said.
Among the City Council, the center has been a source of contention.
The site, which is the former Powerhouse Science Center, was supposed to open 24/7, but after Councilman Sean Loloee and the Children’s Receiving Home raised concerns, the council voted to only open it when certain temperature thresholds are met.
For hot weather, it will open any time the National Weather Service publishes a heat advisory, the council decided. The National Weather Service issued a heat warning, more severe than an advisory, for Friday and Saturday, prompting the city to open the center for the first time.
The city is paying organization Hope Cooperative $3.3 million to run the center through December 2023, Gregg Fishman, a city spokesman, has said. The city is not saving any money opening the center only on extreme weather days, Fishman said.
In 2020, two homeless men died of heat stroke as one of multiple causes.
The county is also opening cooling centers Thursday through Saturday. Libraries and community centers are also open.
This story was originally published June 8, 2022 at 5:47 PM.
