Surviving extreme weather events: How people experiencing homelessness stay cool and dry

There are 53 cooling spaces across Waterloo Region for people experiencing homelessness to take shelter during extreme heat events, but Lindsay Sprague, the director of community programs at Sanguen Health Centre says that it isn't enough.

"I think our region does a really good job at co-ordinating some cool centres across our region and including community partners in the planning for those cooling centres, but sometimes those centres tend to be more short-term relief," Sprague said.

One of the problems she points to with cooling spaces isthat they're not open 24/7 the latest they're open is 11 p.m. and that's only some in Waterloo and Woolwich. In Kitchener and Cambridge, the latest some spaces are open is 9 p.m.

"Sometimes also those places are in areas or buildings where folks might feel a little hesitant to access like municipal buildings or other places that might not feel as welcoming," said Sprague. A lot of the spaces are in city halls, or other public buildings like libraries and community centres.

"Also, sometimes people have trouble getting transportation to a cooling centre."

Extreme heat can kill.In Quebec in 2010, a total 280 people died from an extreme heat event, according to StatisticsCanada, and in B.C. in 2021, some 619 people died.

More shelter beds would be a solution to the issues around the cooling spaces, Sprague said. A spokesperson with Waterloo region said there are 1,085 people experiencing homelessness as of September2021 (which is the most recent count), but only 519 beds available.

This is down 136 beds since February, which is in part due to the loss of 66 beds when YW Kitchener-Waterloo shut this summer.

A 'blessing'

Abdullah Ali, who spends time at a friend's tent at the 100 Victoria Street encampment in Kitchener, says he rarely uses the public cooling stations, and instead opts for the facility run by The Working Centre across the street from that encampment.

He saidthey provide showers, toilets and a place to relax, anddescribes it as a "blessing" for them.

"It's a safe place where you can go in basically and you don't have to sit in a bush and get arrested or whatever, right?" he said.

The day CBC News spoke to Ali, it was 38 C, and during the interview he asked to do it in the shade.

"Well, there's no windows," he said, speaking of his friend's tent, "but no matter how much zippers you open with the netting, with the bug netting to allow air to come in, no matter what you do, it's frickin hot."

"So you just have to move around and basically distract yourself."

The Current14:02As heat waves hit, should cooling be a human right?

Climate expert Blair Feltmate says governments need to treat cooling as a human right, especially as summer heat waves intensify. If they dont, he warns that the death toll from events like heat domes could rise into the thousands.

Sanguen in co-operation with the region, does outreach, and tries to teach people to recognize heat stroke the symptoms and what to do if they get it. They also give out things like sunscreen, water bottles and offer tips on how else to stay cool.

Ali says that he isn't concerned about heat stroke for himself.

Cool air as a human right

Blair Feltmate who leads the Intact Centre on Climate Adaptation at the University of Waterloo told CBC's The Current host, Matt Galloway, that he believes access to cool air during an extreme heat event is a human right.Shannon Down with Waterloo Region Community Legal Services agrees with this take.

"My own personal opinion is yep: having the ability to shelter yourself from extreme weather is a human right, whether that's heat or cold and that we need to be doing more to be supporting and protecting the unsheltered members of our community," Down told CBC News.

The additional challenge of rain

The rain can be an additional challenge for people experiencing homelessness, especially in light of some of the heavy rainfall experienced last month in the region.

Stacey Bricknell, a nurse practitioner with Community Health Caring KW's outreach teams, said during rain storms there's a risk of one's belongings getting damaged and needing replacement, which can havean impact on their wellbeing.

"I think we have to consider the trauma that that sets people up for with continually having to replace the few objects that they do have,having to start over and set up again, over and over again, Bricknell said."

"We have to remember that a lot of folks who are staying outside aren't able to go and purchase high quality supplies that allow them to survive well outside in the wilderness, so a lot of folks are lying on the ground, they're not using waterproof blankets or sleeping bags."

Wet feet can be a danger too, Bricknell explained. They can lead to damage of skin on the feet, and subsequent infections.

"If their shoes get ruined there's no space for them to dry out their shoes, especially if you have a couple of days of prolonged rain so they're needing access to potentially multiple pairs of shoes, which is really difficult to find," she said.

Tarps can help those living in tents during the rain, Bricknell said, as well as keeping the tent elevated using mats or a skid. She also mentioned the facility across 100 Victoria Street that Ali had been using, since there is a clothing drier available for use.

Last month there were 10 rain days, according to Environment Canada, two of which saw heavy rainfall with over 55 mm recorded.