It's 6 p.m... still 104 degrees in Pasadena...and the city's sole cooling center is closing.
The next stop for some of the people who've been staying here is a shady spot or boarding an air-conditioned bus.
It's actually only about a dozen people who've been using the cooling center each day.
Donald Oliver says he's tried to convince more of his homeless friends to come to NW Pasadena but some prefer to stay downtown. Others are afraid of leaving behind belongings.
Donald Oliver, 62, says some of his friends stay cool by going intermittently into stores with A/C. If not for the cooling center, he’d be sitting on a bus for long stretches and trying to keep his legs from swelling
Donald says it's been 5 years since he lost his home after a divorce and losing his job. The people he's met on the streets have become family so he feels the pressure to protect them during the heatwave.
Raymond Yee says he lost his home earlier this year and doesn’t have experience living outdoors in a heatwave. The cooling center made the day bearable but he says it could also making going back into the heat tough for others
Charles Town’s regular job is a camp director for kids so he didn’t know what to expect overseeing the cooling center. But it’s been such a small group coming that he’s getting to know them and makes sure they have water & helps connect them to wifi. He’s back tomorrow.
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