There's nowhere to go

Counting the Costs of Extreme Weather to the Homeless Community

Datos Bibliográficos

ID3898697
AutoresDanielle Every (Senior Lecturer, Appleton Institute CQUniversity Australia, autor de correspondencia), James F Richardson (0009-0005-8396-9638, Australian Red Cross Lifeblood), John Richardson (0000-0003-1944-9820, National Resilience Adviser, Emergency Services Australian Red Cross Australia), John M Richardson (0000-0002-7627-4222, National Resilience Adviser, Emergency Services Australian Red Cross Australia), Elizabeth Osborn (0000-0002-5053-8795, Research Assistant, Appleton Institute CQUniversity Australia)
Año2019
Volumen43
Número4
Páginas799-817
Fecha de publicación2019-10-01
Peer ReviewedSí
Open AccessSí
TipoARTICLE
RevistaDisasters (JOURNAL)
Identificadores de la revistaISSN: 0361-3666 • E-ISSN: 1467-7717
EditorialWiley (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1111/disa.12400
PMID31418904
OpenAlexW2969160705
IdiomaEN
Citas recibidas17
Referencias citadas24

People experiencing homelessness are vulnerable to extreme weather in unique ways. The entrenched inequalities that underpin disaster vulnerability are compounded by extreme isolation and the stress of transient living on mental and physical health. However, the impacts of extreme weather on the homeless in Australia are largely undocumented and rarely incorporated in emergency planning. Interviews with and surveys of emergency and homeless services and service users revealed that the primary ramifications of losing shelter and worsening mental health deepen the cycle of homelessness and trauma. Consequently, homeless shelter losses, such as tents, should be included in pre- and post-event impact statistics and subsequent recovery support. Extreme weather response plans should include early triggers and strategies for 'non-severe' weather events, as the homeless community is affected earlier and by a wider range of meteorological conditions. Moreover, this study also explores the benefits of a trauma-informed response to extreme weather when working with the homeless

Climate change · Computer security · Environmental health · Extreme weather · Mental health · Poison control · Psychiatry · Suicide prevention · Vulnerability (computing · Computer Science · Disaster Management and Resilience · Disaster Response and Management · Homelessness and Social Issues · Medicine · Psychology