Twin Cities nonprofit helping people experiencing homelessness find relief from extreme heat

Hand sanitizer, chapstick, a granola bar — these are the kinds of items you'll find in modest care packages that Sammy Watkins hands out to people at the sprawling homeless encampment outside Pig's Eye Park in St. Paul, Minnesota.

As the director of chaplains at the Union Gospel Mission Twin Cities, Watkins leads outreach efforts to try to get people connected with resources that will help them find permanent shelter. It's those care packages that start a conversation; even in a heat wave, he said, it can be difficult to gain trust. 

"You can't have a cookie-cutter approach to any one individual out here because everyone has a unique situation," Watkins said. 

Organizations throughout the Twin Cities are responding to this week's heat. While Union Mission Gospel has opened up its emergency men's shelter on University Avenue East, Watkins said many people experiencing homelessness are not in a spot mentally or physically to take advantage. He said he's seen the encampment at Pig's Eye more than double in size since it started just shy of two years ago, going from an estimated 40 tents to more than 100. 

A man who asked to be identified as Wolf said that extreme weather can make life even more difficult for those without housing. He said he's survived in encampments like the one in Pig's Eye for years; it's when the heat spikes that he's most concerned about elderly people and those with disabilities in the tents around him. 

"If it wasn't for these good people, the volunteers that come down and help us, there would be a lot of tragedies and such. It's a blessing," Wolf said. 

He explained that any combination of trauma, mental health issues or even legal problems can prevent people from wanting to leave the encampment to seek shelter or other resources. Wolf said that he has found housing and is expecting to move into his new place on the first of July. But he said that there's no simple fix for most of the people waiting out the heat on the street. 

"Not all of us are here just to do drugs and cause chaos and mayhem. We're just trying to live, trying to survive. Being homeless means surviving," Wolf said. 

The men's emergency shelter at 435 University Ave. E. in St. Paul, about 10 minutes away from the encampment by car, offers a respite from the heat, according to Union Gospel Mission. They serve meals, offer showers, and a place for people to cool down. 

Sean Lawson has called the men's campus home for about one year now, renting a space in the facility's paid dormitory. Lawson said that he's from Louisiana and knows heat, but said that services like this are critical. 

"You don't want to be in that heat. Because it's too hot. If you ain't used to it, you might wind up in the hospital somewhere," Lawson said. 

A spokesperson for St. Paul Mayor Kaohly Her said that the city's outreach teams are doing "enhanced" work to check in on people living in encampments and get them help. A spokesperson for the Minneapolis City government shared that they are engaged in similar efforts.