It’s before 10am in Santa Barbara and Todd Johnson from Good Samaritan Shelter, and his team, are unpacking bags of cooling kits ready to hand out to those who don’t have the luxury of an air-conditioned home during a heatwave.
“We’re mobile, so it’s easier. A lot of people are in their space, they feel safe, and why not just come to them?” said Johnson.
We take a walk along the ocean front in Santa Barbara. On a sunny day like today, this setting looks perfect. But in focusing on the beauty, it’s important not to walk past those who need help, said Johnson.
“This is considered hotspots where people, they feel safe and what a beautiful setting. I mean, if you’re gonna come to spend the day, I mean wow, it doesn’t get much more beautiful than that on the waterfront of Santa Barbara. But there’s hotspots where there’s certain individuals will be out here and just, we might come into some people that are sleeping. I’ll lay some cooling supplies next to them so when they wake up, they’re able to drink their water and hydrate and their sunscreen, their fans, cooling rags. We’ll just walk on down and just see who we can support,” said Johnson…