How to Beat the Heat on the Street

Published June 27, 2009 @ 07:32PM PT

When your home is the streets, surviving the elements can be a daily battle. In the winter, extreme cold temperatures too often prove deadly. Unfortunately, the same goes for the summer. During a severe heat wave in Phoenix during the summer of 2005, 28 homeless people died over a two week period because of heat-related causes.

Today, organizations in heat-prone cities are working to prevent these unnecessary deaths with simple, low-cost remedies. The Extreme Heat Project in Phoenix, for example, provides water, sun block, and hats to anyone who asks (homeless or not). They set up "hydration stations" throughout the city and encourage the homeless to stay hydrated, according to the AZcentral:

"It really came out of need," said Maj. Brian Jones , who oversees the Salvation Army at 241 E. Sixth St. in Mesa. "So many people who come in for social services have been out in the heat. A lot of them look dehydrated."

If you're looking for a unique way to serve the unhoused in your community this summer, consider starting a similar effort in your community. You might just save a life this summer.

Share this Post

Add a Comment

For your comment to be published, you will need to confirm your email address after submitting your comment.

If you already have an account, click here to log in.

First Name:

Last Name:

Email:

Create Password:

Comment

Check Spelling

Email me when there are new posts to this thread
Comment Policy

Comments on Change.org are meant for further exploration and evaluation of the ideas covered in the posts. To that end, we welcome constructive comments. However, we reserve the right to delete comments that are offensive, abusive, or off-topic; that contain ad hominem attacks; or that are designed to subvert or hijack comment threads rather than contribute to them. Repeat offenders may be permanently removed from the site at our discretion.

Author

Shannon has worked in homeless shelters and service organizations in San Francisco, the Triangle region of North Carolina, and currently in the greater Boston area. She is a graduate student studying housing and urban policy at Tufts University.