Heat and Houselessness

The Heat & Houselessness Storytelling Project

The Heat & Houselessness Storytelling Project was created to share the real experiences of unhoused people who are living with climate-related health impacts and challenges. We identified the most representative ideas and concerns shared and used those themes to provide an interactive experience.  

As you move through the Storytelling Project, you will hear six audio clips, each with a short written explanation to provide context. You also have the option to listen to more audio clips from the interviews. Please be aware that some of these clips may bring up strong emotions. 

The Storytelling Project is interactive, which means you can:

• Use the orange arrows at the bottom to move to the next quote or go back.
• Click on the play button at the top of the screen to hear each audio clip.
• Make the display bigger by clicking the button below.

View in Full Screen

Key Takeaways

The key takeaways below summarize what we learned from this project. They show the needs that people in this project talked about most often, as well as the system-level changes needed based on our analysis and interpretation of the interviews.

Unhoused people often experience health problems due to hot weather and lack basic safety resources. People without housing are at especially high risk for heat-related illnesses like dehydration, heat exhaustion, heat stroke and worse asthma symptoms. Not having easy access to resources like clean water and places to cool off makes these problems more severe.

Climate change, lack of affordable housing, and socioeconomic factors are major causes of this growing risk. These issues are complicated and affect many parts of society. Solving them will require long-term efforts, including expanding access to affordable housing, health care, and supportive services.

Stigma makes it harder for unhoused Vermonters to get the help they need. Some people have a negative impression of unhoused people, which can lead to unfair treatment. Many unhoused people feel unwelcome in public spaces because of this stigma.

Providing temporary shelter, storage, and survival supplies can help with immediate needs. Short-term solutions – such as daytime and overnight cooling spaces, clean drinking water, hygiene support and sun protection – can make a big difference right away.

Climate change is creating new risks that require new public health and safety strategies. Many people interviewed said they want better resources and support systems, especially public “third spaces” – places where they can cool off, connect with others, and access resources like internet or case management.

These takeaways are consistent with new research and recommendations for how communities can help people experiencing houselessness during extreme weather events.

How we are addressing this emerging challenge

The Health Department is one of many partners across Vermont working to address the combined challenges of climate change and houselessness. The Vermont State Health Improvement Plan describes how we are working with partners to increase affordable housing, reduce the impact Vermont’s high cost of living, improve health care access, and strengthen mental health and substance use services. The Health Department also participates in the Vermont Climate Council and related state efforts to reduce the impact of climate change on people’s health.

To meet more immediate needs, we are taking several actions based on what we learned from this project, including: 

• Keeping a map of community cooling sites, and sharing it online, in print, and through partners like Vermont 2-1-1.
• Sending heat safety tips to community partners that serve unhoused Vermonters when dangerous heat is expected.
• Working with homeless shelters to identify and reduce heat risks inside their buildings.
• Sharing this project with state and community partners so we can find additional solutions. 

We also know of other partners that have taken impactful actions, such as: 

• The Office of Economic Opportunity provided heat safety supplies and outreach through the Housing Opportunity Grant Program and local street outreach teams.
• Vermont Parks Forever gave more than 27,500 free state park visits to income-eligible Vermonters through the 2025 Park Access Fund Pilot Program. 

Short-term action steps

Unhoused Vermonters need extra help to stay safe in extreme heat. We understand that bigger changes are needed to support them in the long term. But for now, providing temporary shelter, storage, and survival supplies can address some immediate needs, like:  

• Access to daytime relief – cooling centers, libraries, other spaces with air conditioning, mobile cooling vans, shade/misting tents, pools, parks and beaches
• Access to overnight shelters with air conditioning – keeping shelters open year-round or opening emergency shelters during periods of extreme heat
• Hydration resources – access to drinking water, water purification supplies, electrolyte packets
• Hygiene support – access to shower and laundry facilities, wet wipes, cleaning wipes, wash cloths, hand sanitizer, no-rinse body soap, deodorant, first aid items
• Sun and insect protection – light-colored, breathable clothing, sun hats, sunscreen, umbrellas; bite and illness prevention info, repellant, tick tweezers, and guidance
• Poor air quality protection (for example, wildfire smoke) – indoor respite centers, N95 masks
• Personal cooling equipment – portable fans, ice packs, cooling towels  
• Secure storage facilities – especially for heavy winter gear
• Heat safety information – safety tips, how to find cooling sites and other needed resources 

What you can do

You can learn more about houselessness and how you can help address heat risks for unhoused Vermonters from these organizations:

• Addressing and Preventing Unsheltered Homelessness (Vermont Department for Children and Families)
• Housing & Homelessness Alliance of Vermont
• In our words, in our community (Champlain Valley Office of Economic Opportunity)
• Get Involved (National Coalition for the Homeless)