Resource Information
The Alameda County Office of Emergency Services maintains a list of open cooling centers in Alameda County: Cooling Center List for Alameda County.
Be careful in the summer heat!
Extremely hot weather can be very harmful to homeless people – it can be just as bad or worse than the cold.
Street Outreach Providers
ACHCH urges all city, county, and community outreach providers to make special efforts to provide outreach to unsheltered people by visiting street and encampment sites, provide bottled water if possible, and most importantly carry out wellness checks for people who may be experiencing heat-related illness. Please review this document or contact achch@acgov.org for more information on how to access bottled water.
Visit the National Weather Service for updated heat-related weather information. You can also find updated Alameda County heat-related information at Alameda County Public Health and Alameda County Office of Emergency Services.
Are you feeling the heat?
Click here for a flyer with information and learn cooling strategies, symptoms of heat-related illness, and emergency resources. [Cambodian] [Farsi] [Spanish] [Tagalog] [Vietnamese] [Traditional] [Simplified]
Symptoms of Heat-Related Illness
Extremely high body temperature (103°+), difficulty breathing, red hot dry skin (no sweating), dizziness, fatigue, rapid pulse, nausea, confusion, faintness, headaches, muscle cramps, unconsciousness. If you experience these symptoms seek medical attention.
Be Careful! Heat and sun are threats to the aging population, babies and children, disabled persons, people with medical conditions or who take medication, and people who drink or use drugs.
Be Aware! Check on your neighbors, especially those unhoused. If you see someone passed out or not feeling well, don’t think they’re “just drunk,” they could be suffering or dying from a heat-related illness. Check on them to make sure they are okay. Call 9-1-1 and get them help, if needed.
Wellness Checks! Outreach agencies and concerned neighbors need to reach out to people they know that could be at risk for heat-related illness. Bring water and check on people to make sure they are okay in the heat.
Water! People on the streets don’t have readily access to water. It is both compassionate and useful to provide bottled water, sunscreen, hats, and umbrellas for protection. Street outreach providers who need access to cases of water to distribute should call ACHCH at (510) 891-8950 for more information.
Animals! Pets also suffer from heat-related illness. Give them plenty of shade and water as well as protect their paws from hot pavement. Click here for more information on how to keep your pets safe this summer.
Cooling Center! A cooling center is a facility, such as a senior center, community center or library, where people may go to get out of life-threatening heat during a heat wave. Cooling centers are for everyone, especially those at risk of getting a heat-related illness.
In this COVID-19 emergency, many cooling center sites may not be functioning. Please call the cooling center nearest you for hours of operation during hot weather.
For more information in other Counties:
Contra Costa County
Santa Clara County
(Updated 09/12/2025)