Climate change disproportionately affects those experiencing homelessness
By Alyssa Gilbert
ShelterCare Development and Communications Coordinator
Editor’s note: Lane County government supports ShelterCare primarily by acting as a conduit for state and federal funding, directing resources toward various ShelterCare programs. Additionally, the county's Health & Human Services department partners with ShelterCare to provide housing navigation and specialized services for individuals experiencing homelessness.
You are likely aware that increasingly extreme weather affects our unhoused neighbors disproportionately, but you may think it’s solely because they live outside in the elements. That is a big part of the reason, but there is another important piece to the puzzle: the rate at which those experiencing homelessness have chronic illnesses or physical disabilities is significantly higher than that of the general public, putting them at increased risk during extreme weather events.
According to the National Alliance to End Homelessness, nearly a quarter of people experiencing homelessness have a physical or mental disability, and certain health conditions are more common among people experiencing homelessness. For example, people experiencing homelessness are five times as likely to have hepatitis, four times as likely to have a stroke, three times as likely to have dementia, and twice as likely to have chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).
Respiratory conditions, like COPD, are a prime example of how those experiencing homelessness are being disproportionately affected by climate change, as we are experiencing worsening air quality each summer due to wildfire smoke. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the 2020 wildfire season on the west side of the Cascades burned nearly as much forest in two weeks as had burned in the previous 50 years in the area. Several of these fires were also larger and more severe than fires documented in recent decades. Someone who is housed and living with COPD may be able to get respite from the smoke by implementing air filters, while those living on the street are unable.
What about those with a chronic illness? For many years, ShelterCare Medical Respite (SMR) was the only shelter in Lane County specifically for those recovering from a major medical event. Individuals are referred to us directly from the hospital where they received treatment and can stay while they recover.
The best bet for those who do not qualify for SMR is the Egan Warming/Cooling Shelters, a series of pop-up, volunteer-run emergency shelters that open on the hottest and coldest nights of the year. Egan is an incredible resource for our community, but was only activated on 23 days last winter, according to Lane County’s Homelessness Response System Inventory and Utilization dashboard.
Extreme temperatures affect mental health just as much as physical; according to the American Psychological Association, extreme heat can make people more depressed or irritable, it can bring on psychotic outbreaks, and people on certain psychiatric medications are more sensitive to heat. These symptoms disproportionately affect those experiencing homelessness, as, according to the National Institutes of Health, depressive symptoms are five to 14 times higher in the homeless population, as well as the diagnosis of severe mental health disorders.
At the end of the day, climate change and the housing and homelessness crisis go hand in hand, and we cannot work on one without consideration for the other.
To learn more about ShelterCare, visit sheltercare.org.
Alyssa Gilbert is a born-and-raised Oregonian who found her way to Eugene to earn her bachelor’s degree in Advertising at the University of Oregon’s School of Journalism and Communications. Her background is in national and local political campaigns. Her current position, where she has worked for 4.5 years, is as development and marketing coordinator at ShelterCare, a local nonprofit that provides housing and mental health services to those who have experienced homelessness. Alyssa actively volunteers with multiple community organizations, including the Children’s Legacy Foundation Network (formerly Eugene Active 20-30 Club) and the City Club of Eugene, where she serves on the board of directors.
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