As extreme heat swept across Europe last month, the UK registered record temperatures for June. Yet, as the UK’s third heatwave of the summer continues this week, these temperatures are no longer exceptional. Europe is the fastest-warming continent in the world, and extreme heat will become more common.
For the homelessness sector, this severely impacts our clients and our workforce. But, as the climate crisis intensifies, how prepared are we?
We explored this question at this year’s FEANTSA Forum in Warsaw, with a session by Depaul International and Homeless Link delving into what climate change means for people experiencing homelessness.
Initially, climate change might not have obvious day-to-day relevance for many in our sector. Yet evidence, and the response from practitioners attending our session, suggests that climate change is increasingly driving homelessness and creating new risks for the people we support.
Globally, climate change is contributing to housing instability and displacement.
Extreme weather events are destroying homes and over 20 million people are forced to leave their homes each year due to floods, storms, droughts and other climate-related events. The World Bank predicts that, by 2050, up to 216 million people will be displaced due to climate change.
Meanwhile, people already experiencing homelessness are among those most exposed to the direct impacts of climate change. Depaul International’s recent report, 'On the frontlines of the climate crisis: the case for action on global homelessness,’ showed that lack of shelter leaves those sleeping rough exposed to storms, floods and extreme temperatures. Elsewhere, a study in California found that unhoused individuals are 26 times more likely to be hospitalised for heat-related illnesses.
Poor air quality also severely impacts those sleeping on the street, with heightened exposure to air pollution leading to related illnesses such as asthma and lung disease. A study in Utah found that 90% of people experiencing homelessness sought medical attention for conditions associated with poor air quality.
It is clear then, that to protect health and save lives, homelessness services must take the climate crisis into account.
During our FEANTSA session, we reflected on the evolution of Severe Weather Emergency Protocols (SWEP). Traditionally, SWEP has been associated with extreme cold weather. Extreme heat is an increasingly frequent concern but there is often a higher bar for SWEP activation and perhaps the risks to our clients are underplayed.
To protect health and save lives, homelessness services must take the climate crisis into account.
There is also a wider question for our sector: if severe weather is now cyclical and predictable, should our responses continue to be framed by emergency measures?
Emergencies by definition are sudden and unexpected, and responses framed in this way will tend to implement short-term measures. Given the reality of our new climate, how effective is this approach? Is there an opportunity to embrace a more systematic, long-term approach that anticipates climate-related risks?
There are encouraging examples of adaptation already taking place in the UK. Across the sector, organisations are developing heatwave plans, creating safe indoor spaces during periods of extreme weather, strengthening partnerships with health services, and using SWEP responses as an opportunity to engage with people who are reticent to receive support at other times.
More broadly, the UN has noted that we need to ensure the green transition and ‘decarbonization does not exacerbate housing unaffordability and homelessness’. Efforts to decarbonise housing and infrastructure are essential, yet these can contribute to rising housing costs. A ‘green transition’ that overlooks homelessness risks deepening inequalities, and many existing climate incentives target higher earners and homeowners. People experiencing homelessness – who are the most exposed to climate harms – are rarely included and this needs to change.
The participants in our session were clear that homelessness organisations have an important role to play in climate conversations. The voices of people experiencing homelessness need to be heard and they are not currently. As weather patterns change and climate impacts intensify, the question is not whether the homelessness sector should engage with the climate agenda, but how.
Written by
Ewan Day-Collins, Head of Programme and Business Development at Depaul International, and Rick Henderson, CEO at Homeless Link.