NEW PORT RICHEY, Fla. — Dangerously hot and humid conditions pose life-threatening and deadly risks in Florida, especially for people experiencing homelessness, one of our most vulnerable populations.

On average, August is historically the hottest month of the year in Florida, so to help its unhoused clients endure the extreme heat and humidity, The Coalition for the Homeless of Pasco County just started assembling and distributing cooling kits.

“Our mission is to serve our unhoused and those individuals at risk of homelessness in Pasco County,” said Jennifer Watts, the Chief Executive Officer of The Coalition for the Homeless of Pasco County.

“So, we started this last summer when we were experiencing extremely deadly high temperatures here in Florida,” Watts continued. “In an effort to meet the needs of those clients, this was our way to offer them some supplies and some comfort. We know it doesn’t replace a house or roof over their head, but it’s something we can do to extend those services. These are items that many of us take for granted when going out of the house each day, but these are not items that our clients have on hand, so it’s important that we provide them to meet those basic needs.”

With the help of teenage volunteers, the nonprofit has assembled dozens of cooling kits for this first round of distribution. Watts added that the bug spray and liquid IV packets are the most requested items. 

Each drawstring bag includes a hat, sunglasses, cooling cloth, bug spray, reusable water bottle, lip balm and liquid IV packets, along with multiple sunscreen options.

DeeDee Dodson, who has been homeless for six months, walked into the nonprofit’s office to pick up a cooling kit and seek help for housing services. “They help out everybody, everybody here,” Dodson said. “They help the families and the kids.”

In addition to several agencies throughout Pasco County serving as points of distribution, street outreach teams deliver the cooling kits to homeless individuals directly.

“A lot of our community partners thought it was a great idea, so we were eager to start it again this year,” Watts said. “We were able to reach a widespread of clients throughout the community to meet those needs with help from the Healing Hearts Cafe, Metropolitan Ministries Outreach Brigade, The Sword & Spoon, Pasco County Libraries and Pasco County Human Services. They were all homes for our cooling kits to reach different clients,” Watts continued.

A more robust solution revolves around the implementation of cooling centers as another option. The Coalition for the Homeless of Pasco County is working with area municipalities with the hope of having libraries and recreation centers serve as cooling centers in the near future.

In addition to Pasco County, the City of St. Petersburg also distributes cooling kits through its Housing and Neighborhood Services Administration.