As the heatwave, as well as summer itself, continues to affect Los Angeles, the unhoused population is affected the most. After all, the COVID-19 pandemic continues to affect places such as shelters, libraries, and other public areas where homeless people in the city could escape the heat. This means that they are their most vulnerable to heatstroke, dehydration, sunburn, and plenty of other consequences of prolonged exposure to the heat and the sun. Water Drop LA came to be in the interest of providing water for homeless people and helping them through the summer. Here’s what the amazing folks at this grassroots organization do.
Water Drop LA
The mission of Water Drop LA is to “provide clean drinking water to people experiencing homelessness”. As stated on their website, they believe that “no person, regardless of their housing status, should go without access to clean drinking water: the most fundamental human need.”. We can all agree that every person deserves water, right? Well, the team at Water Drop LA has taken on the task of bringing it to those without access to it. However, they don’t just drop off a cooler with water and drive away. They place an emphasis on developing relationships with members of the community to create a reliable resource for them.
Distribute Water for Homeless People
You can help the team at Water Drop LA in a variety of different ways. For example, you can volunteer with them. Every Sunday morning, they bring a group of over thirty volunteers to Skid Row to drop off water. If you’d be interested in participating, you can register through their website. If you can’t make it to a water drop, you can support them by donating to their GoFundMe or their Venmo at @waterdrop-la. Over 3,200 donors fund them and you can be one of them.
Help in Other Ways
However, don’t let your help stop there! You can also provide the unhoused members of your community with resources by yourself. For one, you can give out chilled bottles of water yourself using the Water Drop LA guide to do so. There are many ways in which you can help distribute water for homeless people. Additionally, you can provide them with sunscreen, hats, and other resources to help them through this heatwave.
