It feels like just a few short days ago we were sitting cross-legged in front of our fans, ice lolly in hand, hoping the extreme heat would cool off for less sweaty weather.

Now here we are, still in summer with umbrellas and coats trying to keep our clothes dry on the way to the office.

Most of us know the weather is expected to become more extreme in coming years but how can we adapt to sudden weather change and how should the homelessness sector respond?

It’s clear this extreme weather presents a threat to all of us. For those sleeping on the streets, it could be a death threat. We’ve seen many clients at our centre or on our outreach shifts with severe burns, heatstroke and in urgent need of water. On the other hand, today’s rain could lead to many dangerous outcomes from colds to increased risk of health attack.

But what we face now is more than the harsh weather we’ve seen in the past. The constant change in environment extremes can be exhausting for people experiencing homelessness as they face new threats to their wellbeing on a almost daily basis. Constant and unpredictable change in weather conditions also makes it tricky to prepare resources in time for those in need.

But the recent sun and rain could bring a rainbow by pushing us to update our services based around client needs as a matter of urgency. This could help accelerate our work to make all homelessness preventable and, if not, rare, brief and nonrecurring.

What changes we can make going forward to deal with the weather?

As always, we must continue to champion those with lived experience in homelessness. What would people like in the lead up to extreme weather? How can we warn them before a storm and get them into safety? How are these events affecting their mental health?

These are all questions best answered by those living through it. Going forward, we will continue to work with, never for, our clients to ensure their needs are met when the weather changes as quickly as possible.

Across homelessness work, we must become better able to make last minute changes to our support offerings. You can help us by supporting our work to help spread awareness and funds for homelessness. This can keep our clients safe from extreme weather for years to come.

In Summary

Ultimately, as you’re reading this, it’s entirely possible that the weather has once again changed completely to sun or snow. Regardless, it’s becoming clearer that constant change isn’t going anywhere and the homelessness sector must prepare. We will be working with our clients to better understand their needs during this time and make sure to plan months in advance with flexibility built-in.

-The Connection