PHOENIX — Maricopa County will add heat relief services to the 211 social services hotline, officials said Thursday.
The heat relief service starts May 1 and goes through September.
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"Anything related to heat, we're going to have staff at that 211 number from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m.," said Dr. Rebecca Sunenshine with the Maricopa County Health Department. "And they will meet the needs of anyone who needs heat relief."
2023 was the hottest summer on record in the Valley, and contributed to the deaths of 645 people, according to the Maricopa County Health Department.
Currently, 211 is home to social services like housing assistance, rent assistance, health and mental health services. Adding heat relief would expand the scope of those services.
"You have a concern about the heat, if you need to find a cooling center, if you need someone to check on a neighbor, if your air conditioning breaks or if you need it replaced," Sunenshine said, it will all be available by calling 211.
Maricopa County has also hired a Heat Relief Coordinator to oversee the Heat Relief Network, which is a network of city and volunteer-run cooling centers and heat relief stations.
That position will coordinate the funding and operations of the Heat Relief Network, Sunenshine said.
Some of those cooling centers will also be open longer than they were in 2023.
The City of Phoenix is adding two overnight cooling centers for the summer: Burton Barr Library in downtown Phoenix and Senior Opportunities West near 7th Avenue and Buckeye.
Burton Barr will be open 24/7, city officials said. The senior center will only be open overnight hours. The capacity of both centers is set at 50 people, according to the City of Phoenix 2024 heat plan.
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