BAKERSFIELD, Calif. ( KGET ) — The marathon heat wave continues in Bakersfield and the threat of danger is the worst for our most vulnerable population: the homeless.
“Blistering,” said homeless resident Kelvin Jewell. “I never really felt no kind of heat like this.”
Jewell has been homeless for a year after he said his Social Security disability payments stopped coming in and his ID was stolen. He said he’s been trying to seek shelter from the heat at the Brundage Lane Navigation Center.
“My age, 65 years old it is very dangerous for me to be out here,” Jewell said.
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Jewell said staff at Brundage Lane told him he was required to reach out to Flood Ministries to get help, but he didn’t have a phone. So, he found 17 News on scene and asked us for help. “They had some beds available so I was like ‘great.’ Then I saw you,” said Jewell.
Patti Loomis from Eerie, Pennsylvania said she became homeless during the pandemic. That’s when she found her new best friend here in Bakersfield — her dog Strawberry.