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Cobb County shelter opens for heat wave
MUST Ministries extended operating hours at its Cobb County cooling center through Sunday to protect unsheltered residents from dangerous summer heat.
MARIETTA, Ga. - A Cobb County cooling center is extending its operating hours through Sunday to protect unhoused residents and vulnerable community members from dangerously high temperatures.
Cooling center open in Cobb County
What we know:
MUST Ministries is operating the only cooling center in all of Cobb County to give people living on the streets a place to escape relentless heat. Located at 1297 Bells Ferry Road in Marietta, the facility is open from noon to 6:30 p.m.
Staff members automatically open the facility whenever temperatures reach 90 degrees or above to reach individuals living in parks, under bridges or on street corners. Visitors receive air conditioning, lunch, dinner, a shower and summer clothing items.
Safety during extreme temperature stretches
Why you should care:
Living outdoors during extreme heat can be far more dangerous than surviving cold winter months. Officials warning about heat stroke and severe dehydration note that many unhoused residents do not recognize symptoms until they pass out.
People utilizing the facility say the relief is lifesaving. Valerie Scott, who has lived on the streets for three years, drinks tea all day and fans herself to stay cool, while Sarah Pointer-Harned said she visits every time doors open because she would otherwise have nowhere to go.
Operational schedule and community support
What's next:
Organizers originally planned to shut down operations on Friday, but persistent extreme heat prompted them to extend services through Sunday. Officials say they will evaluate conditions day by day to determine if the center needs to remain open into next week.
Needs and current inventory levels
What you can do:
High demand has cleared out several donation bins, but the center continues to seek basic supplies from the public. Community members can help by dropping off water, sports drinks and summer clothing. They say the biggest need right now is socks and underwear. They go through 950–1000 pairs of men's underwear and 950-thousand pairs of women's underwear a week.
Official shelter capacity limits
What we don't know:
Officials have not yet confirmed how many total individuals the facility can accommodate at one time.
The Source: The information in this story was gathered from FOX5 reporter Denise Dillon, who interviewed MUST Ministries representative Keo Buford along with unhoused residents Valerie Scott and Sarah Pointer-Harned.