[NEWS] Philly’s homeless endure the record heat

From the Philadelphia Inquirer:

A feeble breeze kicked up the black dust in the scruffy encampment of homeless men and women beneath I-95 at Oregon Avenue Thursday afternoon. In the shade of the highway's concrete awning, they relaxed, uncomplaining, on grimy mattresses and folding chairs, during the most blistering hours of the day. But when Project HOME outreach worker Sam Santiago arrived in his familiar red van, bearing bottles of chilled water, the group rose eagerly to greet him.

"It's hot," said Joe Schlacter, accepting an armload of bottles beaded with condensation. "But not as hot as Vietnam." The 66-year-old veteran, who has weathered years of homelessness, said he found it easier to cope with winter's extreme cold than this kind of oppressive heat.