Volunteers to hand out water to homeless

HOUSTON

At a warehouse on the northwest side of town, volunteers are preparing to hand out bottles of water. In all, more than 186,000 bottles of water will be passed out across the Houston area.

This is the second year that the 'I Am Waters Foundation' is taking on this effort. This year, they have effectively doubled the number of water bottles they're distributing across Texas. Their hope is to expand their effort to California next year.

Volunteers hope the water lasts through September, but given the scorching heat even before the official start of summer coupled with a rise in the homeless population, they say they're willing to make more water if need be

"How long will it last? It depends on how long the heat lasts, how hot it is and if the homeless population as it stands now keeps growing. There's 25 percent more people utilizing shelters this summer than there were last summer," said Elena Davis of the I Am Waters Foundation.

The foundation is partnered with UCLA and they've studied the dehydration patterns in the American population.

The Star of Hope will be giving out 200-250 bottles of water per day.

Cooling centers open around town

The city of Houston Health Department has 10 multi-service centers available across the city as Beat the Heat Centers. They're open every day from 8am to 5pm.

Each center has a program for providing children with lunch and an afternoon snack. Residents can call 311 for assistance locating the center closest to them.

• Acres Homes Multi-Service Center, 6719 W. Montgomery, 77091 - 713-694-9274
• Denver Harbor Multi-Service Center, 6402 Market Street, 77020 - 713-670-2143
• Fifth Ward Multi-Service Center, 4014 Market Street, 77020 - 832-393-3800
• Hiram Clarke Multi-Service Center, 3810 West Fuqua, 77045 - 832-393-4200
• Kashmere Multi-Service Center, 4802 Lockwood, 77026 - 832-393-5503
• Southwest Multi-Service Center, 6400 High Star, 77074 - 713-778-6500
• Sunnyside Multi-Service Center, 4605 Wilmington Street, 77051 - 713-732-5030
• Third Ward Multi-Service Center, 3611 Ennis Street, 77004 - 713-527-4005
• West End Multi-Service Center, 170 Heights Blvd, 77007 - 713-803-1050
• Magnolia Multi-Service Center, 7037 Capitol Street, 77011 - 713-928-9515
• McGuire-Dent Recreation & Fitness Center, 2222 28th Street Galveston, TX 77550
• Wright Cuney Recreation Center, 718 41st Street Galveston, TX 77550