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There’s just one week left before the official first day of summer.Many are preparing to lie out by the pool with baskets of sun screen and beach towels.The homeless on the other hand see days of blistering heat and no where to go. KSMU’s Erika Brame went out to Bill’s Place to find out just how the homeless are dealing with the summer months to come.
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Charles is sitting in a chair with his legs and arms folded.He has on a Hawaiian button up shirt with a pair of jeans and boots.His skin is already tinted red by the sun’s rays. Charles is spending part of his day here at Bill’s Place to get out of the heat.
“You start showing up at Bill’s, stay out of the sun, stay out of the heat,” he said.
He says once this place closes in the late afternoon he looks for the next shaded area.
“Maybe get a few hours of sleep, get ready for work. If there’s no work find a place, shade, stay as comfortable as you can,” he said.Min Dokko is a case manager here at Bill’s Place.Bill’s Place is where Charles and other homeless people come during the day to get away from the rain, snow, and heat.She says she sees more and more people coming in.
“You can tell that it has picked up around here. There’s not as many places for the clients to go to as far as getting shade and stuff other than coming indoors here or finding bridges. Going underneath the bridges or they’ll stay in their camping areas,” she said.
Now that winter is over, jackets and gloves get left behind and they get cooler clothing for the summer months.Dokko says this is especially true for the clients she sees here at Bill’s Place.
“Sometimes it’s just easier to just leave it behind then have to carry it around with you especially when you’re disabled or you have mental illness,” she said.
Bill’s Place offers clients a clothing voucher each week.She says a lot of them come for this instead of holding on to their old clothes.
“You see them come in quite frequently for that. Only because they don’t have places to store things at,” she said.
Dokko says with all these vouchers they process it’s just as important to receive summer donations as they do in the winter.“We actually get more donations in the winter time. And that’s because of the scarves, the hats, and the gloves and things. Which I think is excellent. There’s several different groups that will come in with blankets and quilts and things like that. But to be completely honest I haven’t seen as many donations,” she said.
Bill’s Place offers showers, laundry facilities, and water as well.It is open to all and offers temporary case management to its clients.For KSMU News, I’m Erika Brame.
LINKS: Bill's Place