Escaping high temperatures is easy when bouncing between air-conditioned homes, cars, and offices. Unfortunately, people without homes don’t have that luxury. Use these tips for helping homeless people beat the heat this summer!
Pass Out Bottled Water
Water prevents dehydration, and it’s essential to survive. Dehydration is a common threat to unhoused people on extremely hot days. Buy cases of water and keep them inside your car to pass out to these people. Consider keeping these bottles in your refrigerator or freezer to ensure people receive cold water or use them as cooling aids.
Hand Out Fans
A handheld, battery-operated fan is helpful during the summertime. It makes the heat bearable by keeping your body cool. Donate fans and batteries to homeless shelters or add them to care packages. Either way, you’ll help someone stay cool!
Distribute Care Packages
Homeless people often don’t have basic care items, especially items to beat the heat. You can distribute homeless care packages and include heat survival items. For instance, sunscreen, hats, bug spray, sunglasses, and sanitizing wipes are all essentials for the summertime.
Distribute packages to homeless shelters, community centers, and churches. Keep a few packages in your vehicle and give them to someone in need. Your contributions will make a big difference in someone’s life.
Locate Cooling Centers
The best way to deal with excessive heat is to stay out of it. Help people experiencing homelessness beat the heat this summer by locating cooling centers.
Keep referral cards on hand and pass them out to those in need. The cards have addresses to cooling centers offering relief from the heat. Most centers provide light snacks and water and have trained staff to assist anyone in need of help.
Along with referrals, consider giving people transit cards. This way, they can take public transportation to the cooling sites.
Connect People to a Charity
Emergency shelters, charities, and community centers are available to unhoused people. If you see someone in need, connect them to a charity. Oftentimes, these individuals don’t use resources because they don’t know about them. Bridge the gap by becoming a helping hand in your community.
Stay Alert
Extremely high temperatures negatively affect the human body. Confusion, heavy sweating, slurred speech, agitation, and seizures are signs of heat stroke. Stay alert and keep an eye out for people in distress. Call 911 if you see someone amid a health crisis. While waiting for help, offer them water bottles to cool down.