With temperatures soaring, outreach effort activated to provide cooling supplies to Santa Barbara County homeless population

SANTA MARIA, Calif. – As temperatures soar across Santa Barbara County this week, an outreach effort is underway to help bring some relief to the county's homeless population.

"We activate when it's 85 degrees or higher," said Anais Diaz, Good Samaritan Shelter Outreach Program Manager. "Good Samaritan goes out and speaks to our unsheltered community. We hand out supplies for this kind of weather, water, electrolyte packages, towels, lots of supplies."

Other supplies handed out include sunscreen, lip balm, ice packs, towels, battery-operated fans, safety information and other items.

"Most of the clients that we work with are literally out in the street so we go to them and hand out supplies just to make it more comfortable for them during these times. They're very happy. We have a very positive outcome when it comes to handing out supplies to the community. They are very welcoming and they're very thankful to have us do this for them."

The cooling bags are not only intended to make the recipients feel more comfortable during the heat waves, they may potentially be life-saving since those who are unhoused face significant health dangers when they are exposed to extreme temperatures.

"When it comes to risks for the unsheltered community out here, these high-rise temperatures can cause a lot of issues," said Diaz. "There are lot of health concerns. They can experience sunburn, dehydration, feeling disoriented, dizziness, heat stroke, so all of those things can become very life-altering and can become a big emergency."

The cooling outreach is a partnership between Good Samaritan Shelter and Santa Barbara County.

"This activation is occurring countywide," said Diaz. "We have teams in Santa Maria, Lompoc, Isla Vista, Santa Barbara, Carpinteria. We have teams in all of those cities making sure that our unsheltered population is supported."

The cooling outreach is scheduled to last through Friday, but may be extended depending on the forecast of the weather if high temperatures continue to persist.

“We work with the county and we follow the temperatures," said Diaz. "Based off those, we go out and make sure that this activation will last as long as it needs to.”