Huntsville non-profit provides cooling shelter for homeless amid extreme heat

HUNTSVILLE, Ala. (WHNT) — Some of us have the ability to turn on our AC at the flip of a switch, but not everyone has that privilege and it’s why people staying at the Downtown Rescue Mission in Huntsville say the shelter is a blessing.

With the extreme heat sweeping through the Tennessee Valley, the non-profit organization knows that homeless people during these times are among the most vulnerable.

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The Downtown Rescue Mission (DRM) is the home of a 24-hour shelter providing food, water, and a place for the homeless to escape the intense heat. Ashleigh Hayes with the DRM says they promise to never turn anyone away no matter how many they’re serving at once.

“We will make sure that we accommodate every person that walks in whether it be setting up mats in the hallway or whatever is needed, we’re going to make sure that everybody is taken care of,” Hayes said.

Hayes says you never know when you could be the one in need.

“Anybody can be homeless anything in your life can change so quickly and you can end up in a situation like this, we have people that are just passing through,” Hayes told News 19.

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Steven Price is one of the people passing through the shelter. He has a full-time job and is looking to get back on his feet, but for now, without a place to go, the non-profit is his safe haven.

“Just to have a place to come and to be able to have three meals a day and to be able to get out of the heat, and they provide water and food, it really is great,” Price said.

Living day to day outside in the sweltering temperatures can be unbearable making the DRM a vital place for many. Price says what gives him hope for his eventual exit is having their support.

“To go from nothing to have people that love and care enough to provide food and to put a roof over your head it continues to keep the fight in people,” Price said.

For people in Morgan County, Hands Across Decatur is another non-profit that’ll open a cooling station Thursday and will provide hot meals starting at 11 a.m.

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