ATLANTA — As a crippling heat wave sweeps into the region, a nonprofit organization has opened a cooling center in southeast Atlanta.
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Frontline Resources, partnering with A Home for Everyone DeKalb, opened the center Sunday at 2585 Gresham Road SE and plans to keep it open at least until next Sunday.
It provides not only a place to keep cool, but lunch, dinner and refreshments.
“We know they need to cool down, have those resources. That’s why we get them hot meals and also case management resources,” said Tyana Mizell, the operations director.
She said staff members will work with those seeking relief and experiencing homelessness to find long-term shelter.
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Christine Hefner was among those keeping cool on Sunday. She usually spends her nights in hotel rooms, and sometimes in a sleeping bag on the streets. She said a place like this during extreme heat is essential.
“Very important as we get older, and it’s gonna be hot again this summer like it was cold for the wintertime,” she said.
Will Butler, the state executive director of Frontline Resources, said the heat can be just as dangerous and deadly as severe cold.
“They don’t realize it, but heat sneaks up on you,” he said. “You can end up in a crisis just as you can during the winter, and that can be fatal.”
To make the center more accessible, staff members will pick up people every morning at 8:30 from the Decatur Library and at 9 from the Chamblee Library.
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The center will be open through next Sunday from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Hefner said she’s trying to find a senior living apartment, but the waiting lists are often a year long. For now, she’s grateful to have a place to protect herself from the intense heat.
“This is important to have it ready for so many reasons,” she said.
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