Shipping containers repurposed as cooling centers to keep city cool this Summer

By Kenny Darr

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    TUCSON, Arizona (KGUN) — Under the sweltering Sonoran sun, even a few minutes outside can make you feel the intense heat. For many in Tucson, especially those without a home, there is no respite from the relentless temperatures. Now, two shipping containers that once sat along the U.S.-Mexico border are being repurposed as vital cooling stations for those who need a place to escape the heat.

“Having something like this would have been a game changer,” said Erica Dallo, who knows firsthand the challenges of sleepless nights on the street with no place to go. “I was unsheltered for quite a while and I know we’re hoping to get more than just unsheltered here. Anybody that needs relief. But there is no relief when you’re out on the streets like that.”

Dallo, who now works with the Tucson Housing First Program, is preparing to welcome those in need of a place to cool off this summer. Dubbed ‘Cooltainers,’ the two solar-powered cooling centers join six others, creating a total of eight cooling centers across Tucson.

“We are aware that there’s a need, especially with this extreme heat we’re supposed to have today,” said Allison Chappell, Community Services Manager for Housing Operations.

Inside one container, visitors will find cots for taking a much-needed nap under the blasting air conditioning. For those who just need a break from the heat, there are tables, chairs, snacks and hygiene items available.

“Days like this remind us that there are people that don’t have a place to call home, they don’t have somewhere where they can escape the sweltering heat, the intense sun,” Chappell added.

For Jeannette Garment, another worker with Housing First, being able to help those in a position she once experienced is a full-circle moment.

“I hope that people take advantage of it and that they can come down here and take a couple of hours off their feet,” she said. “Try to get some rest and see how better their life can be one day.”

The cooling stations are open every Tuesday through Saturday from 12 to 5:30 p.m. and will operate until August 31. Officials say funding is the reason it isn’t open on Sunday and Monday, but that could change as more people use them this Summer.

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