The lack of preparation for the homeless here is obvious to those sweltering on the sidewalk outside the Society of St. Vincent de Paul relief center in Phoneix.
Daytime highs in Phoenix have remained near 110 degrees for more than a week, and Phoenix officials acknowledge that it is almost impossible to deal with the needs of the estimated 10,000 to 20,000 people living on the streets. The city has barely 1,000 shelter beds, and hundreds of them are available only in the winter.
The heat in the Southwestern desert has exacted a high price in lives along the Mexican border. U.S. Customs and Border Protection officials said that 101 illegal migrants have died of heat this fiscal year, which runs from October to September. That compares to 95 heat-related deaths in all of the previous 12 months.
Twenty-one border-crossers have died in Arizona since July 1, according to Salvador Zamora, a spokesman for the border agency.
Tags: Homelessness
