Phoenix expanded heat relief in 2026 after dangerous gaps in 2024 pushed the city toward 24/7 cooling and overnight respite

Phoenix took a step in protecting residents from extreme desert heat in 2024, when it began providing overnight heat respite for people who could not rely on cooling centres after normal hours. The move came as the city faced dangerous summer conditions, exposing a gap in a heat relief system that often operated only during daytime and business hours. According to the City of Phoenix's 2025 Heat Response Plan, this created “gaps in network availability, particularly in the late afternoon and evening hours, as well as on weekends”. Phoenix’s response was to keep cool spaces available beyond those limits, giving people somewhere to escape the heat during the late afternoon, evening and overnight. The first overnight locations, including Burton Barr Library and Senior Opportunities West Senior Centre, helped shape an approach to round-the-clock heat protection. By 2025, the city had built on that experience with a 24/7 Heat Respite and Navigation Centre at 20 W. Jackson Street, combining a cool refuge with water and services for people experiencing homelessness. The initiative became a key part of Phoenix’s heat strategy.Phoenix expanded its 24/7 heat relief services in 2026Phoenix further expanded its heat-response system under its 2026 Heat Response Plan, approved by the Mayor and City Council in February 2026. The city continued operating the 24/7 Heat Respite and Navigation Centre at 20 W. Jackson Street and added a partnership with Justa Centre at 1001 W. Jefferson St., offering cooling centre hours from 3 pm to 9 pm. Both sites provide cool indoor space, navigation services and transport to shelters or other services for people experiencing homelessness. Phoenix also extended Cholla Library’s cooling hours until 9 pm Monday to Saturday and from noon to 9 pm on Sundays and holidays. A new referral partnership with UMOM New Day Centres was also planned to provide heat respite and links to services for families with minor children experiencing homelessness.From cooling centres to a broader heat-safety networkThe 2026 plan also placed greater emphasis on prevention and community outreach. Phoenix allocated $450,000 in FEMA Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities grant funding to train public-facing city employees to connect residents with heat-related services. The American Red Cross was set to conduct outreach in mobile-home and senior communities, while Park Stewards and Community Emergency Response Team volunteers would provide heat-safety information and cold water at Camelback Mountain, Piestewa Peak and South Mountain trailheads. The measures followed a second consecutive year of declining heat-related deaths in Maricopa County, with confirmed deaths in 2025 about 30% lower than in 2024. Together, the changes showed how Phoenix was moving beyond daytime cooling centres towards a wider system of 24/7 respite, extended opening hours, transport, shelter connections and community outreach.How Phoenix heat relief services faced gaps during extreme heat in 2024Phoenix's heat response had already included indoor cooling centres and hydration stations, but these services did not always cover the hours when extreme temperatures remained dangerous. The 2025 plan explains that participating Heat Relief Network facilities “typically provide services coincident with their normal hours of business operation”, leaving gaps later in the day and at weekends.The 2025 plan described summer 2024 as “the hottest in the City’s history”, while the season also set records for the number of days reaching 110°F, nights remaining above 90°F and consecutive days reaching at least 100°F.New heat centre builds on Phoenix’s 24/7 respite servicesThe city's 2025 plan says the new centre would “improve 24/7 heat respite capacity from the 2024 heat season”, building on the overnight and 24-hour services provided at Burton Barr and Senior Opportunities West. These locations provided an alternative when other cooling services were unavailable, helping people remain indoors and away from the heat for longer periods. The city’s 2025 plan says those two locations would return to their normal roles as cooling and hydration sites during regular operating hours.The 2024 experience also showed that heat relief needed to be connected with other forms of support. In its updated approach, Phoenix planned not only to provide a cool indoor refuge but also water, navigation assistance and transport for people experiencing homelessness, allowing visitors to connect with wider city services.Phoenix opened a dedicated 24/7 Heat Respite and Navigation Centre in 2025Building on the 2024 experience, Phoenix opened a dedicated 24/7 Heat Respite and Navigation Centre at 20 W. Jackson Street for the 2025 heat season. The centre was chosen for its accessibility to people travelling on foot or by bicycle and its proximity to public transport, with Community Bridges and the Phoenix Police Department providing staffing and security. Phoenix described it as a continuation of the previous year’s effort, offering a cool indoor space and water overnight, along with navigation and transport resources for people experiencing homelessness.The 24/7 centre was not intended to replace Phoenix’s wider network of cooling centres, libraries and hydration stations but to fill gaps when other services were unavailable. In 2025, the city also extended the hours of Cholla, Harmon and Yucca libraries until 10 pm, including Sundays and holidays. Together, these measures formed part of Phoenix’s broader heat strategy, which included 30 heat-response actions across eight strategies, covering public cooling spaces, drinking water, safer homes, worker protection, community outreach and coordination with external agencies.Catch the latest World News and Live updates. Download the TOI app.