Planners and policymakers are increasingly interested in heat resilience, but there is little evidence about heat exposure, health risks, and adaptive strategies among people experiencing homelessness. We took a nested, mixed-methods approach. First we identified where unhoused residents in Santa Clara County were disproportionately exposed to heat, and then examined how unhoused residents in these areas coped with heat and avoided heat-related illness. In the first stage, we used descriptive and spatial analyses to identify associations between unhoused residents, tree canopy, temperature, and other neighborhood characteristics. The neighborhoods in the top quartile of unhoused residents were two percent hotter than other neighborhoods demonstrating a dimension of urban thermal inequity. In the second stage, we conducted in-depth (n = 10) and encampment-based (n = 72) interviews with unhoused people to better understand their heat-related experiences and needs. We found that unhoused participants were exposed to extreme heat, which resulted in negative health consequences. Unhoused residents favored staying in places where they had more stability and were less likely to be swept (relocated). But, the more stable locations tended to have less access to shade and water, thus they faced difficult trade-offs. Additionally, many unhoused participants experienced challenges accessing air-conditioned spaces, including cooling centers, due to lack of information, transportation issues, and restrictive policies. The most important strategy for reducing the unhoused population's heat risk is housing provision, and interim approaches include outdoor spaces for unhoused people designed with heat considerations in mind, and inclusive air-conditioned indoor spaces.
Gabbe, CJ; Chang, JS; Kamson, M; Seo, E
Reducing heat risk for people experiencing unsheltered homelessness
International Journal Of Disaster Risk Reduction