SAN ANTONIO — When temperatures rise, tempers can flare and the danger level increases, too, especially for vulnerable people who can't escape the heat.
People who are on the streets fighting to survive say that, now more than ever, compassion would help.
At a west-San-Antonio pop-up tent providing services to the homeless and others who need help, people talked about the difficulties they face finding an escape from the heat.
One man who came for a bottle of cold water said it's difficult to survive when there is constant pressure by city officials to keep people moving.
"If you want to put a tent, the cops will come and break it down! There's nothing you can do," the man said, adding he is too young to take shelter in a city cooling center at a senior center and he doesn't know of any other services within walking distance.
At another gathering spot, a pocket park with slivers of shade on Smith Street, another man said the homeless who gather there are forced to move between the park and private parking lots by police.
"When it's hot we just want to be still, but we can't even enjoy the shade in a public park," the man said.
Volunteer Susana Segura has turned up the heat on her own effort to help people survive these oven-like temperatures.
"On a daily basis, it's good to have bananas, oranges, water, ice," Segura said while digging bottles of water out of a bucket of ice. "(And) always more ice."
Her first customer, a woman who said she had only one kidney, was grateful for the gift.
"The ice turns into water so if people have cups, they can fill them, and I usually carry a jug so anyone with a bottle can refill it," Segura said.
Segura said she thinks a more compassionate response by the city is in order after a murder Tuesday in a homeless camp near the jail.
The tireless volunteer said she believes the fight that turned fatal when it ended with gunfire was due to the constant upheaval caused by the city abating the camps.
"Especially now that the summer has started and the heat has kicked up several notches, when the city abates camps it forces people to move into spaces where other people are already occupying that space. It causes undue friction and personality conflicts and people start to fight among each other," Segura said. "It could be avoided if the city didn't bust up the camps as quickly as they do."
A plan B for reprieve from the heat
The city does have cooling centers, but some, like Tobin on West Martin, are doing double-duty as summer sites for kids.
To keep kids safe, they can only accommodate a few adults during the heat of the day.
"I'm not sure the centers are accepting homeless people. They focus on regular civilians living in houses that maybe don't have enough air conditioning in them," Segura said.
Segura said she and other outreach volunteers have been inviting those who need shelter to the Corazon Day Center, but she has seen little in the way of similar efforts from others.
"It would help to at least let people stay at parks temporarily. I was at Smith Park on Monday and I saw Park Police out there twice that day running people off. They told people they couldn't stay, that they would be arrested, but it's a public park. They should be allowed to stay during the day," Segura said.
Roland Martinez, with the city's Department of Human Services, said homeless camp abatements are continuing in the heat, but he sent the following statement:
"Outreach to people experiencing homelessness is a critical part of the City's efforts, especially during extreme weather conditions. The City and its partner organizations are in the field daily to connect people with services, offer overnight shelter and encourage them to visit one of the City's many public places to stay cool.
"Outreach teams also carry ice chests with cold water in their vehicles to provide to unsheltered individuals. The teams also provide education on the signs of heat-related illnesses and provide transportation as needed."
Segura and a network of mutual aid volunteers said they will be doing more outreach than usual to provide life-saving services. Here is a link to Segura's non-profit service group.
You can find the hours of operation for all cooling sites on the city’s website. The site also includes a VIA bus trip planner.
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