In Benton, the city opened their cooling center for the heat advisory on Tuesday.
BENTON, Ill. (WSIL)-- If you've been outside you know it's hot out there. But local agencies are helping people stay cool.
In Benton, Illinois, the city opened their cooling center for the heat advisory on Tuesday.
While some people are using pools or getting ice cream to keep cool, others including Hunter Bagley are taking shelter in public spaces like the Benton Library.
“I'm just here, just gaming, and then sometimes I'll check out on my job applications and see how they're doing,� Bagley said.
Bagley says he's making sure he's hydrated before his walk home.
“It's a cooler place to be at than most of the other places in town,� Bagley said.
But Benton took some actions earlier to let people know they would be opening their cooling center ahead of the expected opening on July 1st.
Justin Miller is a peer recovery specialist with Take Action Today. He is also the site supervisor of the cooling center and says they will be open till 8 p.m. but that's not going to be the regular hours.
“Earlier in the week we saw that this was going to be one of the hotter days with extreme temperatures. So, in order to reach the community and be a good asset to them, we decided to open up just for today,� Miller said on Tuesday.
Miller says they are happy to be back open, and a resource for the community after announcing back in May they had to suspend their services.
“I had faith that we would come back because I believe in what we do. I believe that this is a God-given calling that we do,� Miller says. “We just had to take a step back and reorganize, and it gave us a chance to get back on our feet.”�
Millers says while they were able to open for the hot weather on Tuesday, they are going to need some volunteers to help keep this place running longer.
“Eventually we're looking to stay open from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m., but for that to happen we'll need people to volunteer,� Miller says. "Any donations would be welcome as far as cooling packs, ice fans, anything that you can think of.�
Miller says although they're not a shelter, they do have a shower and laundry for people when they visit.
“It's not just for the homeless, it's for the elderly or people who are struggling with their electricity bills and all that. It's anybody who needs to come and get out the heat,� Miller said.
And on hot days like this, everybody, including Bagley, can appreciate a cool place to be.
