How To Help The Homeless During The Heatwave
With temperatures set to rise, people sleeping on the streets are at risk of dehydration and sunstroke. Here’s how you can help, writes Liam Geraghty in the Big Issue.
Hot weather has arrived in the UK once again and while it’s great for topping up the tan and sitting in a beer garden, if you’re experiencing homelessness the sun and high temperatures can pose a real threat. While it’s widely understood that low temperatures in winter put the wellbeing of people experiencing homelessness at risk, it’s also true that particularly warm summers — which we can expect more of as the climate crisis worsens — can be harmful for people sleeping rough. They’re faced with a battle to find cool spots to shelter in, cold drinking water and places to shower off, while being at higher risk of sunburn, dehydration and heatstroke.
There are multiple heat warnings in place across England as temperatures are set to hit 30°C in some areas between Friday 9 June and Monday 12 June. There is an amber alert in place for heat across the Midlands as well as the east, south east and south west of England. Yellow alerts are also in place in the north east, north west and Humber regions of England as well as in London. A yellow warning for thunderstorms has also been issued across parts of the UK over the weekend. The warnings are the first time the UK Health Security Agency and the Met Office have issued a heat-health alert in 2023.
Dr Agostinho Sousa, head of extreme events and health protection at UKHSA, said: “In the coming days we are likely to experience our first sustained period of hot weather of the year so far, so it’s important that everyone ensures they keep hydrated and cool while enjoying the sun. Forecasted temperatures this week will primarily impact those over the age of 65 or those with pre-existing health conditions such as respiratory and cardiovascular diseases.”
Here are some tips for those unsure how to help someone sleeping rough in high temperatures. The NHS lists the some of the signs of heat exhaustion as:
- A headache
- Dizziness and confusion
- Loss of appetite and feeling sick
- Excessive sweating and pale, clammy skin
- Cramps in the arms, legs and stomach
- Fast breathing or pulse
- A high temperature of 38C or above
- Being very thirsty
If you think someone has heatstroke you need to help them find somewhere to cool down immediately. These are the steps to take to according to the NHS:
- Move them to a cool place.
- Get them to lie down and raise their feet slightly.
- Get them to drink plenty of water. Sports or rehydration drinks are OK.
- Cool their skin – spray or sponge them with cool water and fan them. Cold packs around the armpits or neck are good too.
- Call 999 immediately if they start to breathe quickly or have shortness of breath, have a seizure, lose consciousness, or are not responsive.
When extreme weather poses a health risk, councils can activate Severe Weather Emergency Protocols. These can be activated in response to high winds, freezing temperatures and snow as well as extreme heat. It’s up to the council whether they decide to activate Swep. While most local authorities are likely to open up places to shelter and reach out to rough sleepers under Swep, it is at the discretion of each authority. If you believe your council should be activating Swep, you can contact them to let them know.
A simple way to help a disadvantaged person through the summer months is to give them a bottle of sun cream, whether it’s newly bought or a spare you had at home (as long as you haven’t had it for long – sunscreen can expire). It can sometimes be tricky for people sleeping rough to locate good drinking water, and it becomes even more of a challenge in summer when they need to cool down and stay hydrated. If you plan to give away a bottle of water, stick it in the freezer the night before, so it will stay cold for longer and can also cool sticky foreheads. Even better, find out where your nearest water refill stations are and make sure the person has that information going forward.
If you give a person food, opt for ingredients that contain a lot of water such as juicy fruit or vegetables to help them stay hydrated. It’s easy to underestimate the health-saving impact of sun hats and shades during the summer if we need only reach into a wardrobe to fish some out. But they can make a real difference in fending off sun and heatstroke, particularly to people who might not be able to escape the hot sun in a UK heatwave. A handheld fan can be a gamechanger for someone who can’t head indoors out of the sun or into air-conditioned buildings during a UK heatwave. Umbrellas can offer a person shade if they have nowhere else to go, too.
If you see someone in need of medical attention in hot weather, don’t hesitate to call 999 to get them the help they need.
