FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — The 7hills Homeless Center has become a haven from the summer heat for the homeless population in Fayetteville.
Kristina Andazola is the development associate for 7hills and explained that the center has kept a stock of cooling supplies ready for use. With the heat bearing down in Arkansas, it's become a crucial space for the homeless population looking to avoid high temperatures.
"This time of year, we typically see about one heat-related call every day," Capt. Doug McCratic of Central EMS said.
McCratic says they commonly receive calls for heat exhaustion during the peak of the summer.
"They are still sweaty, and skin may be pale, wet, of course, possibly fatigue, headache, nausea, cramps, problems like that. Whereas [when] you move into heat stroke, you start seeing dry skin. The body's ability to compensate has given out at that point," he said.
When it comes to the battle of you versus the sun, McCratic said their goal is to cool people down in emergencies.
"We strip them down, fill them with fluids, try to get them rehydrated and cooled off as quickly as possible," McCratic said.
One way to avoid heat-related illnesses is to stay out of the sun, but that's not so simple for everyone.
"You have that ability to go and flip that thermometer down or up, but people that are experiencing homelessness, they don't have that privilege," Andazola said. "They have to seek out places to make sure that their body is cooled down or warmed up."
7hills has kept a stock of water, electrolytes, cooling rags, ice, misters, shade, and air conditioning to assist those experiencing homelessness.
"We want to make sure, and try to do everything we can here at 7hills to make sure people are beating the heat," Andazola said.
Andazola explained that the center is increasingly seeing a need among the elderly. She explained that they're struggling to keep up in an area with rising costs when they live on a fixed income. The aging population also pushes an already growing need for medical care and storing medicine.
"It's always extremely difficult when you have medical issues that come into play when you are experiencing homelessness because that's more than just one barrier that you're trying to break," Andazola said.
She said nonprofits in the area work to tear down some of those barriers.
"Places like 7hills and other nonprofits, they're able to do that. They stick it in the fridge there to help them out with their insulin, maybe, or have electricity so that they can plug in a breathing machine if they need to," Andazola said.
7hills says they're in need of additional supplies as they continue to help keep cool through the summer. You can make donations from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m., Monday through Friday at 1832 South School Ave., Fayetteville, AR 72701.
Watch 5NEWS on YouTube.
Download the 5NEWS app on your smartphone:
Stream 5NEWS 24/7 on the 5+ app: How to watch the 5+ app on your streaming device
To report a typo or grammatical error, please email KFSMDigitalTeam@tegna.com and detail which story you're referring to.