2025 Cooling Center Impact!

Last Thursday, we wrapped up the final month of Cooling Center hours — with September made possible thanks to the incredible generosity of Glimmer Austin.

We’re full of gratitude to Glimmer, and to all the partners, volunteers, staff, and supporters who made it possible for us to offer, for 3 months, a safe, air-conditioned space where our neighbors could rest, take showers, access meals, water, clothing, and restrooms — and, most importantly, experience care and dignity. ✨

Today, we want to share one of our visitors' testimonies—a powerful reminder of why showing up day after day this summer was so important for our unhoused community. 

Latasha was one of our faithful visitors since the cooling center started. Each day, Latasha came in with her husband, Derrick, and their dog, Angel, during Cooling Center hours to find far more than relief from the heat. They were able to access daily showers, clean clothes, nourishing meals, cold water and Gatorade, bathroom access, air conditioning, and a safe place to nap for a few hours.

“I’m so grateful that I get to shower almost daily, and for how clean they leave it after each person. That’s important. The staff and even security work with me when I need to shower, and they help by staying with Angel while I’m in there. This place is different in how they treat you. They treat you well here.”

It’s been almost a year since Latasha experienced her first episode of homelessness, and it has been rough. In her words: “It hurts to see how people look at you differently. I used to have a job, people knew me, and now everything is different. Judgment is so cruel.”

With everything that comes with being on the streets—struggling to find a job, getting into shelter, facing sleep deprivation, and dealing with the dangers of the nights—Latasha is grateful to have a place like Trinity. Not only does it give them and their dog a safe space indoors when it’s dangerously hot outside, but it also serves as a place she can count on to remind herself to keep going and keep fighting.

“I’m hopeful every day that we are going to get a place someday. When that happens, oh, I am going to kiss the keys, the doorknobs, the floor—get a ladder and kiss the ceiling. I am hopeful. Thank you guys, you are nice. We will do our part and be kind; you keep doing your part, and we can all be a happy family and get things done.”

If you’ve made it this far, it means our mission has touched you. You understand the importance of giving our neighbors hope, a network of support, and a place where they feel truly loved. The hottest days may be winding down, but we’re still here—serving our neighbors in every way we can—and we still need your support to keep that love and care going.