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Sacramento combats triple-digit heat with cooling center. Here’s where

Rows of cots, towels and blankets at the Warren E. Thornton Youth Center for a winter respite on Nov. 7, 2024. Sacramento County will use the space as a cooling center for homeless residents on Thursday, July 10, and Friday, July 11, 2025.
Rows of cots, towels and blankets at the Warren E. Thornton Youth Center for a winter respite on Nov. 7, 2024. Sacramento County will use the space as a cooling center for homeless residents on Thursday, July 10, and Friday, July 11, 2025. Sacramento County Department of Homeless Services and Housing

In anticipation of triple-digit temperatures, Sacramento County announced a cooling center for residents hoping to escape excessive heat.

The Warren E. Thornton Youth Center at 4000 Branch Center Road will offer respite Thursday and Friday from 1 p.m. to 8 p.m. The center will provide snacks, a warm dinner, showers, restrooms and light case management for homeless visitors according to Sacramento County Spokesperson Janna Haynes. Attendees are also welcome to bring their pets, and leashes will be available on site.

A heat advisory is in effect from 11 a.m. Friday to 11 p.m. Sunday in Northern California, according to the National Weather Service. Temperatures are expected to rise from 95 degrees to 110. Overnight temperatures are forecast to be in the upper 60s to around 80.

The cooling center can serve up to 100 individuals, and prospective attendees should call 211 to check availability in advance. First Steps Communities, a Sacramento nonprofit organization dedicated to securing interim housing for homeless residents, will be in charge of operation, and Sacramento Regional Transit will provide free transportation to the center upon display of a flyer.

“Being able to offer people those free rides is invaluable,” Haynes said.

The Warren E. Thornton Youth Center is serviced by Regional Transit Bus 72.

JR
Jack Rodriquez-Vars
The Sacramento Bee
Jack Rodriquez-Vars was a 2025 summer reporting intern for The Sacramento Bee.
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