\u201cBeat the Heat\u201d<\/a> response plan, keeping its Navigation Center open until 8 p.m. through Friday, July 24. The center normally closes at 3 p.m. on weekdays.<\/p>\nPastor Wayne Walker, CEO of OurCalling tells 1080 KRLD the organization begins its extreme-heat response when the heat index reaches dangerous levels.<\/p>\n
\u201cAccording to the National Weather Service, it becomes dangerous when it\u2019s over 105,\u201d Walker told KRLD. \u201cWe watch the weather every day for hot and cold temperatures. When it\u2019s this hot, we\u2019re going to stay open until the heat drops below that threshold, just to make sure people are safe.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Navigation Center offers cold water, meals, snacks, restrooms and an indoor place to escape the heat. Walker said those additional five hours cover the most dangerous part of the afternoon and early evening, when people living outside may have few other options.<\/p>\n
\u201cEvery shelter in Dallas is full and gets full by about 8 a.m., and so there\u2019s just not enough room,\u201d Walker said. \u201cThe reality is we live in a city that has a lot of people on the street and not enough beds.\u201d<\/p>\n
Walker said that population includes people living in vehicles or under bridges, along with families, trafficking survivors, domestic violence victims, teenage runaways and older adults.<\/p>\n
\u201cOurCalling is the one place for everyone, so we\u2019re 100% inclusive,\u201d Walker said. \u201cOn days like today, it\u2019s important to make sure we have extended hours to help those individuals escape this brutal heat.\u201d<\/p>\n
Outreach teams searching for people at risk<\/p>\n
OurCalling\u2019s street outreach teams are also staying out longer each day, searching for people who may be in danger and helping bring them to the Navigation Center.<\/p>\n
The organization maintains a network of phone numbers and email addresses for thousands of people experiencing homelessness. During extreme weather, OurCalling uses that system to share information about extended hours and places where people can find help.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe broadcast messages across the community on days like today when it\u2019s hot or cold, telling them places they can go or when we\u2019re open late,\u201d Walker said.<\/p>\n
The immediate goal is to prevent heat-related illness or death, but Walker said the contact also creates an opportunity to connect people with longer-term services.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe goal, again, is not just for a one-day response,\u201d Walker said. \u201cAs of today, we\u2019ve helped 876 people exit homelessness this year. There\u2019s a lot more need, and we\u2019re trying to work with every single one.\u201d<\/p>\n
How North Texans can help<\/p>\n
OurCalling is asking the public to donate bottled water, sunblock, sunglasses, hats, cooling neck wraps and shelf-stable snack packs.
The nonprofit also needs volunteers to help serve meals, provide resources at the Navigation Center or accompany street outreach teams. Financial donations support the extended operating hours, vehicles, fuel and other costs connected to the heat response.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt takes a lot of people and a lot of coordination,\u201d Walker said. \u201cWe need the entire community to help us.\u201d<\/p>\n
North Texans can also download the free OurCalling app to report the location of someone experiencing homelessness. Outreach teams can use that information to locate the person and connect them with services.<\/p>\n
Donations and additional information are available at ourcalling.org\/hot.<\/a><\/p>\nOurCalling\u2019s Navigation Center is at 1702 South Cesar Chavez Boulevard in Dallas.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"With the heat index expected to climb above 110 degrees across North Texas, OurCalling is extending its hours…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":381002,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[9],"tags":[102,104,103],"class_list":["post-381001","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-dallas","tag-dallas","tag-dallas-headlines","tag-dallas-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/381001","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=381001"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/381001\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/381002"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=381001"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=381001"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=381001"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}