Greensboro, High Point nonprofits open cooling stations during dangerous heat

Ashley McElveen used the Interactive Resource Center at 407 E. Washington St. in Greensboro as the only place she could go as dangerous heat settled over Guilford County. In Greensboro and High Point, nonprofits opened air-conditioned spaces, offered bottled water and misting fans, and used their buildings as daytime relief sites for residents most exposed to extreme temperatures.

The Interactive Resource Center at 407 E. Washington St. in Greensboro can serve as a daytime cooling space, and during Orange Flag conditions it can also coordinate overnight shelter through Community Safety. Open Door Ministries at 400 N. Centennial St. in High Point opens its lobby during hot weather. People facing homelessness or financial hardship often do not have the basic protections others rely on, including air conditioning and money for cold water. Prolonged high temperatures aggravate McElveen’s psoriasis and eczema.

On June 10, Guilford County released its summer 2026 cooling-station list. The county defines extreme heat events as temperatures staying significantly above average for several consecutive days. The county urged residents to check on children, older adults and people with underlying health conditions, and the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services Heat Health Alert System sends English and Spanish alerts when local heat index levels are forecast to reach unhealthy levels. The county is sharing partner organizations’ cooling centers rather than operating them itself.

The list includes Glenwood Together at 1310 Glenwood Ave. and Tiny House Community Development HOPE Center at 360 W. Gate City Blvd. in Greensboro. In High Point, it includes Oakwood Day Center, Salvation Army of High Point and Triad Health Project. Greensboro expanded its own response beginning June 6, opening a weekend cooling center at the Interactive Resource Center from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. every Saturday and Sunday through the end of August. Orange Flag conditions begin when daytime temperatures reach 90 degrees or higher and overnight lows do not fall below 70 degrees; when that happens, Community Safety Department staff operate an overnight cooling center at the IRC from 7 p.m. to 7 a.m. Greensboro also keeps a weekday hydration station at Greensboro Police Headquarters, 100 E. Police Plaza, where people can get a free bottle of water from a lobby mini-fridge. National Weather Service guidance for the region warns that heat becomes dangerous as heat index values rise, and it urges people to seek air conditioning and hydrate before symptoms such as dizziness, nausea and confusion set in.