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Heatwaves and homelessness

When you picture someone sleeping on the street, one of the first things that comes to mind is how cold they are at night, shivering in their sleeping bag, some with nothing but a thin blanket to shield their body from the cold. This is a horrible reality for some of the people we support. But it isn’t just in the Winter months that people experiencing homelessness struggle with the weather.

 

In 2023, the Museum of Homelessness conducted a study on extreme weather conditions and the effects & responses of people experiencing homelessness.  In 2021, they documented that that there was a higher number of deaths of people experiencing homelessness in the summer, compared to the winter months.

The study stated:

“In 2021, the Met Office began to issue extreme heat warnings and in 2022 the UK saw a fierce heatwave with temperatures reaching 40 degrees on 18th and 19th July 2022. In London and many other cities, SWEP (Severe Weather Emergency Protocol) was not activated during this heatwave.

SWEP is a crisis response declared by the local government during periods of extreme cold weather which helps to increase support and prevent deaths of people experiencing homelessness.

Dr Mariam Zachariah notes that the UK is particularly vulnerable to risk to life from heatwaves because our infrastructure is not built for them.

 

As part of their study, they spoke to people who were sleeping rough about what they needed during periods of hot weather. They stated that ‘They many not want to disrupt their day to enter a cooling space, but that practical items to manage the heat like hats, water and suncream were welcome.’

Hot weather brings its own challenges to people sleeping rough as they may not have access to water, sun protection or adequate shade.

If you’d like to help someone experiencing homelessness during the summer months, please donate to help us provide resources to keep those in need safe in the sun.

 

Read more news stories here: News

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