Beating the heat

For people without a home to retreat to when the weather hits triple digits, summers in Chico can be especially brutal. Laura Cootsona, executive director of the Jesus Center, sees that firsthand—her facility stays open longer in the summer months, and a new partnership with the city extends those hours to 9 p.m. when the heat is extreme.

“People are coming. And they’re really grateful,” she said this week, as the Jesus Center prepared to be open late Wednesday (Aug. 14) and today for the triple digits. It’s the third time the partnership has been triggered this summer. In counting individuals who stopped in, Cootsona said it ranged from a low of 23 one day to a high of 88.

The issue of an extreme weather shelter came to the forefront during a cold snap in February that prompted the city of Chico to open a warming center overnight so people had a heated place to sleep when temperatures dropped below freezing. That setup cost $2,000 a day, according to Mark Orme, city manager. With the Jesus Center partnership, the city’s cost could go as high as $1,500 in the winter—when the facility will remain open overnight—but has run around $550-$600 a day this summer.

“Bottom line is, it’s been very successful,” Orme said. “And it’s a lot more cost-effective than the city running it.”

At the Jesus Center, the “cooling center” is essentially the dining room. Folks can hang out, charge their cellphones, and there might be a movie to watch, Cootsona said. Her staff made a trip to the food bank for extra snacks, and there’s cold water to drink.

“We really push hydration,” she said. “Because when they go back out, they lose it.”

The Chico City Council in March tackled the issue of establishing a policy for extreme weather, choosing to partner with the Jesus Center on the effort. An annual budget was set at $30,000. In the summer, if temperatures reach 100 degrees or higher for two or more consecutive days, a “Code Red” is triggered, prompting the opening of the shelter. In winter, the threshold is 32 degrees or colder, triggering a “Code Blue.”

“One of the things the City Council requested city staff to do is to put a collaborative effort together to ensure there’s a venue for extreme weather,” Orme said. “In working with the Jesus Center in this effort, we’ve been able to successfully implement it.”

The money goes to added staff, including security, as well as utilities.

The council’s decision didn’t come without controversy. In fact, it was forced to act quickly in February when temperatures reached below freezing because the county, which typically handles issues of public health, failed to act. Its Extreme Cold Weather Plan doesn’t kick in until the National Weather Service indicates conditions endangering human life, such as extreme cold or freeze, wind chill and low daytime temperatures accompanied by nighttime temperatures of 25 degrees or lower.

“People are coming here expecting us to provide safety for them,” Mayor Randall Stone said at the time. “It’s literally freezing cold outside. People die in this weather, and we’re going to wait for the county to take action?”

The city of Oroville also has stepped up this summer and formed a partnership with the Oroville Rescue Mission to open a cooling center there. That facility is set to be open this week from Wednesday through Friday. The Jesus Center is scheduled to be open Wednesday and Thursday, though temperatures are expected to stay in the 100s through Friday, which would result in it reopening then, too.

Part of the contract with the Jesus Center included the stipulation that there would be security measures in place, according to City Councilman Scott Huber. That stipulation has the potential to deter some people from using its services. Social media posts indicate some pushback from the larger community as well, but Orme says the city has received no formal complaints.

Huber said he sees the center as a much-needed relief for both homeless folks and people with homes but without the means to afford air-conditioning.

“I’m gratified that we have this available. I know it’s not ideal for everyone, but it’s more than we had a year ago,” he told the CN&R.

“It makes it so much easier if they’re not in that constant, relentless barrage of heat,” Cootsona said. “No human does well in that—they need respite. These guys are already compromised physically.”