With the summer’s scorching heat already here, there are cooling centers where you can go to beat the soaring temperatures.
The City of Houston has partnered with Reliant Energy and Harris County Precinct 2 to open 22 “Beat the Heat” centers in the Houston area.
City and county leaders say many people don’t have air conditioning, and those that do might be reluctant to use it because they can’t afford high electricity bills.
In response, Reliant said it’s donating $1 million to help people across Texas pay their electricity bills, and it’s easy to get help.
“Just dial 211. Call 211 and ask for ‘care funding.’ Or you can go to 211texas.org. They have a great online facility as well where you can just plug in your zip code and find the different social service agencies that provide those funds,” Bill Clayton, vice president of customer care for Reliant, said.
The cooling centers will be located in certain libraries, community centers, and multi-service centers.
Houstonians should also prepare for the heat by increasing water consumption, conducting outdoor work or exercise in the early morning or evening when temperatures aren’t as high, and wearing light-colored, loose-fitting clothing that permits the evaporation of sweat.
The following city multi-service centers are designated as cooling locations:
Acres Home Multi Service Center
6719 W. Montgomery Road
Houston, Texas 77091
Monday – Friday, 8 a.m. – 5 p.m.
11903 Bellaire Blvd.
Houston, Texas 77072
Monday – Friday, 8 a.m. – 5 p.m.
Denver Harbor Multi-Service Center
6402 Market St.
Houston, Texas 77020
Monday – Friday, 8 a.m. – 5 p.m.
Fifth Ward Multi-Service Center
4014 Market St.
Houston, Texas 77020
Monday – Friday, 8 a.m. – 5 p.m.
Hiram Clarke Multi-Service Center
3810 W. Fuqua St.
Houston, Texas 77045
Monday – Friday, 8 a.m. – 5 p.m.
4802 Lockwood Drive
Houston, Texas 77026
Monday – Friday, 7:30 a.m. – 5 p.m.
7037 Capitol St.
Houston, Texas 77011
Monday – Friday, 8 a.m. – 5 p.m.
Northeast Multi-Service Center
9720 Spaulding St.
Houston, Texas 77016
Monday – Friday, 8 a.m. – 5 p.m.
Southwest Multi Service Center
6400 High Star Drive
Houston, Texas 77074
Monday – Friday, 8 a.m. – 5 p.m.
Sunnyside Health and Multi-Service Center
4410 Reed Road
Houston, Texas 77051
Monday – Friday, 8 a.m. – 5 p.m.
Third Ward Multi-Service Center
3611 Ennis St.
Houston, Texas 77004
Monday – Friday, 8 a.m. – 5 p.m.
170 Heights Blvd.
Houston, Texas 77020
Monday – Friday, 8 a.m. – 5 p.m.
If you need a ride to a designated cooling center, you can call 311 to request a free ride from METRO.
The following locations are cooling centers listed by the Precinct2gether program, in conjunction with Reliant:
Bay Area Community Center
5002 East NASA Parkway
Seabrook, Texas 77586
281-326-2955
East Harris County Activity Center
7340 Spencer Highway
Pasadena, Texas 77505
281-479-4232
Felix Baldree Community Center
13828 Corpus Christi St.
Houston, Texas 77015
713-455-3660
Hardy Community Center
11901 West Hardy Road
Houston, Texas 77076
281-260-6772
JD Walker Community Center
7613 Wade Road
Baytown, Texas 77521
281-426-3551
Leonel J. Castillo Community Center
2101 South St.
Houston, Texas77009
713-274-2222
Mangum-Howell Community Center
2500 Frick Road
Houston, Texas 77038
281-591-7830
Martin Flukinger Community Center
16003 Lorenzo St.
Channelview, Texas 77530
713-274-2132
North East Harris County Community Center
10918 1/2 Bentley St.
Houston, Texas 77093
281-442-7950
Pep Mueller Activity Center
14750 Henry Road
Houston, Texas 77060
713-274-7275
You can find other “Beat the Heat” information, including AC unit requests, at Reliant’s website.