As extreme heat continues to hammer Windsor-Essex, a local homeless shelter is forced to cope without air conditioning.
The AC unit at Street Help Homeless Centre of Windsor on Wyandotte St. E has been broken since last February.
Today the health unit has issued a Level 1 heat alert with temperatures expected to hit 40 C (104 F).
Street help administrator Christine Wilson-Furlonger expects a full house all day. "At least we have a lot of fans going in here. Our donors have been kind to keep us going with bottled water," she says. "We have an ice machine that was donated to us this year, so thank God for that. We've been able to provide at least ice cold water for people."
Today Wilson-Furlonger says they will be operating a bit differently due to the extreme heat. "We are absolutely shutting down all the ovens, no cooking. It's going to be cold food service all day long -- sandwich making at the most." Wilson-Furlonger says. "We can't afford to turn on our stove anymore, the heat is just overwhelming."
It's unclear how much longer until the AC will be fixed. Apparently the homeless shelter is on a long wait list with the service company, she says.
Inside Wilson-Furlonger says it's about 32 C (90 F). Street help also offers cold showers.