LA’s homeless communities are avoiding cooling centers, and it’s not just because of COVID-19

Theodore Henderson has experienced lots of heat waves during the seven years that he’s been homeless in Los Angeles. But when temperatures hit 97 degrees F in Los Angeles County earlier this month, Henderson’s usual coping strategy was unavailable. In previous years, Henderson would have gone to a nearby library to get out of the sun and enjoy some air-conditioned relief, but with the COVID-19 pandemic, all the city’s public libraries are closed.