Phoenix took a step in protecting residents from extreme desert heat in 2024, when it began providing overnight heat respite for people who could not rely on cooling centres after normal hours. The move came as the city faced dangerous summer conditions, exposing a gap in a heat relief system that often operated only during daytime and business hours. According to the City of Phoenix's 2025 Heat Response Plan, this created “gaps in network availability, particularly in the late afternoon and evening hours, as well as on weekends”. Phoenix’s response was to keep cool spaces available beyond those limits, giving people somewhere to escape the heat during the late afternoon, evening and overnight. The first overnight locations, including Burton Barr Library and Senior Opportunities West Senior Centre, helped shape an approach to round-the-clock heat protection. By 2025, the city had built on that experience with a 24/7 Heat Respite and Navigation Centre at 20 W. Jackson Street, combining a cool refuge with water and services for people experiencing homelessness. The initiative became a key part of Phoenix’s heat strategy.
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