Heat and Houselessness

Explore the Data

The Heat & Houselessness Storytelling Project shares the experiences of unhoused Vermonters and the people who provide services to them. The project explores how extreme heat affects health and daily life, and what people need to stay safe.

Listen to the stories below. Please be aware that some 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

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What the Data Show

The stories shared through this project highlight several important challenges for unhoused Vermonters during hot weather:

• Extreme heat creates serious health risks. Limited access to drinking water, cooling spaces, shelter, and other basic resources can worsen heat-related health problems.
• Housing and other social conditions affect heat safety. Climate change, the lack of affordable housing, stigma and other socioeconomic factors can increase the risks faced by people who are unhoused.
• People need both immediate support and long-term solutions. Cooling spaces, shelter, water and other resources can help people stay safe during extreme heat, while affordable housing, healthcare and supportive services can address longer-term needs.

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Putting the Data into Action

The Health Department and community partners can use what we learned from this project to help reduce heat-related health risks for unhoused Vermonters.

• Housing: Increase access to safe, affordable housing and reduce barriers that make it difficult for people to find and maintain housing.
• Healthcare: Improve access to health care and supportive services for people experiencing houselessness.
• Cooling: Expand access to safe places to cool down, including daytime and overnight cooling spaces.
• Resources: Make sure people have access to drinking water, hygiene supplies, heat safety information and other resources during extreme heat.

The Health Department is working with partners to support these efforts, including maintaining a map of community cooling sites, sharing heat safety information, and working with shelters to identify and reduce heat risks.

Learn more about houselessness and how Vermont communities are working to address these challenges through these resources:

• Housing Opportunity Grant Program (Office of Economic Opportunity) provides heat safety supplies and outreach through and local street outreach teams.
• 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)

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