Along the lines of what @Mike McCarthy said, why not offer a generator to the building and run temp power to the necessities. 

It's a rarity for the temp to get to 117, though the all time record was set on July 20,1988 at 118, I remember it well, it's the day my son was born.

(I have used craigslist shared/temp postings, craigslist wanted, and church/community boards in the past to find affordable living.)You can use the saved time to work longer, potentially, and make $50-100 more every day.

Somewhere from $1,500 to $2,500 seems a typical amount.I ran across one firm out of Tempe, AZ that offers a "free" tax lien foreclosure.

Some of my friends warned me about that as well and after a quick look at some temp agency jobs in SA it is true.

I tend to believe in the climate scientists, who say that as the world's temp. gains 1 degree celcius, which say isn't too far off, in years; then they say that most of California will turn into a desert, without adequate water.

Odds are, they are also looking for you - you just need to connect.There is also the possibility of doing a corporate rental - where a company, like a temp agency for traveling nurses, wants to just pay you a regular rent that they guarantee you, and their employees come and go. 

With more time, you should be able to find a more conventional lender to provide temp to perm financing which would cover construction (temp) and then convert to permanent financing upon stabilization.

Last summer I invested in a 70liter/day dehumidifier, and you would be shocked how much this helped the situation, both by making warmer temps more comfortable and getting rid of the stickiness.  

Anyway, my bill almost doubled that  month but I have to account for the temp being higher that month so I figure for those 4-5 days it costs me around $30-40 bucks running it constantly.