Township urges coordinated response as pop-up cooling shelter opens amid heat wave

Cunningham Township staff announced a weeklong pop-up cooling shelter and expanded outreach this week as officials warned of dangerous heat and a growing population of people sleeping in cars and abandoned buildings. The shelter, hosted at a church, provided 30 cots and staffed day-and-night services for seven days and six nights; staffing costs for the week are about $10,000, paid with a mix of grants and partner funding.

The announcement matters because township staff said existing low-barrier shelter capacity is far smaller than the need: staff estimated “150-plus” residents sleeping outside in cars or abandoned buildings and reported engaging 101 individuals and nine families in June; Strides had a wait list of about 30 on July 1. Township staff said low-barrier bed capacity has fallen over the last decade even as homelessness has grown.

Township staff said…