Why Extreme Cold Exposes the Deadly Gap Between Warming Shelters, Available Beds, and the Reality of Homelessness
Experts project this winter to be one of the snowiest in decades. Many studies point to the climate crisis as a key contributor to the inclement weather. Yet, studies show that “states most impacted by the climate crisis lack sufficient shelter and housing for the most vulnerable”.
This means the most adversely affected regions are also the least prepared. Here’s what that looks like on the ground.
An unseasonably cold winter has settled over much of the United States, bringing prolonged stretches of freezing temperatures, snow, sleet, and ice to the Midwest, Northeast, and parts of the South. Millions of people remain under recurring winter weather alerts as temperatures stay well below freezing for days at a time. Power outages, weather-related deaths, and dangerous travel conditions have already been reported, and experts warn that these persistent cold fronts may signal a long, harsh winter ahead rather than a single isolated event.
Homeless People Face Death, Injury, and Exacerbation of Preexisting Diseases as Cold Fronts Move Forward
In the days leading up to last month’s 35-state snowstorm, three unsheltered individuals were found frozen to death in New York City before the snow even touched the ground. In Alliance, Ohio, authorities uncovered the remains of 32-year-old Justin Ward, believed to be homeless, in an icy tent. The coroner’s office cited “low temperatures” as the most likely cause of this event.
In Philly, social workers issued a Code Blue, but many were unable to reach the most vulnerable amongst us in time to help.
“As crisis workers in Philadelphia, we receive emails from the city when
Temperatures drop below freezing, and that’s called a code Blue,” explained Crisis Director Bruce Lockett. “This initiative was brought about to keep the unhoused community from being caught in dangerous weather conditions.”
“Warming stations are open, and police and EMS patrol the city to escort individuals who need transportation to these locations,” he continued. “During these times, we receive many calls from unsheltered people seeking help or resources during extreme weather. Our team has hand-warming packs and water in the vehicles to aid people who may need something immediately while we complete assessments and continue escorting them to safe areas.”
This approach is a good start, but many challenges remain, most importantly, the lack of shelter beds and other resources. With a massive shortfall, homeless people enduring Code Blue emergencies might experience one or more of the following:
- Frostbite that might medically require amputation
- hypothermia
- heart attack
- Trench foot
- respiratory illness and more
*Exposure to extreme cold can ultimately lead to death.
Insufficient Shelter and Housing Create Instability for the Coldest and Hottest Regions
The National Alliance to End Homelessness (NAEH) released a report illustrating that the most immediate need for unhoused people in freezing and scorching hot weather — access to shelter — is not being met. According to the study, there are not enough beds to meet demand.
To put things into perspective, seasonal bed capacity for the 11 coldest states in the country falls drastically short of the necessary supply. Data shows that 72.6% of unsheltered people living in the coldest regions do not have access to seasonal beds. This means that even if social workers successfully ushered every single unsheltered person out of the cold, there would be no place for most of them to go other than the streets they were already sleeping on.
States considered the coldest in the country include:
- Alaska
- Colorado
- Maine
- Idaho
- Missouri
- North Dakota
- Wyoming
- Wisconsin
- South Dakota
- Nebraska
- Minnesota
In a recent news broadcast capturing the winter storm, one reporter said of shelters, “getting there can be a matter of life or death.”
If only it were that simple. The truth is, with a shortage of at least 7,304 seasonal winter beds, getting there doesn’t guarantee safety from the storm. However, it does pose yet another issue.
Getting to Warming Shelters Poses Unfathomable Obstacles
Even in situations where there are available beds, getting transportation to a warming shelter in the bitter cold, through a raging storm, poses unique challenges for unsheltered individuals, the vast majority of whom have disabilities. Indeed, they are 2.5 times more likely to have a disability status than housed people.
WSPA News reported one of the most tragic tales to emerge from this year’s icy winter thus far, which exposes the harsh reality of disabilities and the lack of transportation.
According to reports, a 64-year-old unsheltered homeless woman, belovedly known for serving others through the nonprofit Sunday Dinner with a Twist, was found dead after a frigid night in Greenville, presumably because she was not equipped to get to the local warming shelter.
“She’s been hit by four cars in the past two years,” said friend and advocate John Martin. “She’s broken. She’s hurting. Her bones hurt. For her to walk from Washington Street to Pleasantburg, it’s just a long walk. There’s no way she could make it over there.”
Unlike police officers’ and EMTs’ vehicles, social workers’ vehicles are usually not as well equipped to weather these storms either. Many of the minivans that crisis teams ride around in, passing out hand warmers and water, are two-wheel-drive vehicles, lacking the four-wheel-drive feature, heavy chains, and specialized tires seen in police vehicles and ambulances.
Hot Weather States are Even Less Equipped with Seasonal Shelter Beds
Even when winter winds down, warmer weather poses an equally deleterious threat for our unsheltered neighbors. The same study presented by NAEH shows that the hottest states in the country do not have seasonal shelter beds for more than 95.6% of the unsheltered homeless population. This means that in hotter states, almost nobody will be coming in from the storm.
Wildfires rage, climate crises compound, federal aid funds are cut, and the most vulnerable people among us are left to fend for themselves come ice and snow, fire, and hurricane. This makes places like California just as dangerous as Alaska for people living outside.
“About a year ago, in Los Angeles, tens of thousands of people were displaced,” said Pablo Estupiñan, the director of Strategic Actions for a Just Economy (SAJE), in an exclusive talk with Invisible People. “During that time, there was rampant price gouging by landlords, some of them even seizing the opportunity to increase rents by hundreds of dollars, creating competition. At the same time, working-class people lost their jobs and incomes due to the wildfire, and what we saw was high rates of eviction.”
The current administration is aware of the homeless, housing, and climate crises. Yet it is addressing these crises by cutting the already limited supply of seasonal beds and slashing tenant rights. Between now and June, federal grants are set to expire, billions of dollars in aid are projected to be lost just as hundreds of thousands of new homeless cases arise, and the shortage of shelter beds could create a dire situation.
Talk to Your Legislators about Supporting the Permanent Right to Housing
Permanent, supportive housing is the only data-driven, statistically proven strategy that keeps our unsheltered neighbors from dying or becoming injured in the storm. This is a year-round problem that can only be solved by collective opposition. Make your voice heard today.