As North Texas temperatures reach record highs, the nonprofit Our Calling is extending its hours to help provide relief for the estimated 10,000 people who are homeless in Dallas.
Tuesday, Our Calling, a nonprofit that relies on both monetary donations and volunteer time to serve the homeless population in Dallas County, stayed open until 6 to offer air conditioning, dinner and plenty of water.
Earlier in the day, its search and rescue teams took to the streets to do welfare checks and provide hot weather essentials like sunscreen.
It’s an emergency operation plan that kicks into gear anytime the heat index tops 105 and is something the nonprofit has had to do more than usual this year.
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“We prep months in advance for this hot summer heat, but we certainly didn't expect this 100-plus degree weather to happen every single day for weeks on end. So it does take a strain on our team's inventory like sunglasses, sunblock, and things like that," said Development Manager Ali Hendricksen. "Of course, staying open extra hours does cost more money to keep our building running, our air conditioner running. We need staff and security on guard as well.”
Our Calling said as the DFW area continues to grow, so does its homeless population. The nonprofit is serving about 70 new people each week compared to 20 or 30 new clients a week three years ago.
