“Death Is a Possibility for Those without Shelter”: A Thematic Analysis of News Coverage on Homelessness and the 2021 Heat Dome in Canada

3.1. Theme I: “The Wave Could Create a Dangerous Situation for People Experiencing Homelessness”

It was also common within the articles to articulate why people experiencing homelessness are vulnerable to the heat. For example, one article by a task force dedicated to ending homelessness in Burnaby, British Columbia, described that: “The absolute homeless are vulnerable to severe health risks when hotter weather occurs for two or more days. Cities trap heat: on sunny days, pavement can be 27–50°—hotter than the air. Homeless people cope with unusual heat with minimal protection and have limited locations to access drinking water. Food spoils faster leading to higher risk of illness (i.e., botulism and salmonella). They face significant stigma, exacerbated by no or poor access to showers, laundry, or secure storage. They are often excluded from cooling off in air-conditioned malls and free public spaces. Many cope with pre-existing health conditions and all are at high risk of COVID-19”. Many articles also spoke explicitly of this population’s lack of access to reprieve from the heat, especially at night, as temperatures did not subside during the 2021 Heat Dome. For example, one news article reported, “During the week-long heat dome, temperatures did not cool off much at night, meaning there was little respite from the heat, especially for people living in sub-standard housing with no air conditioning”.

A few articles also discussed the physiological strain placed on people experiencing homelessness in the heat, along with reports of heat-related illnesses and emergency medical service (EMS) deployments. For example, one article quoting an EMS services representative reported that “[People] more directly affected by the heat that is repeatedly smashed same-day records this week have been those suffering heat exhaustion. Some of those patients are homeless individuals”. Articles captured other heat-related conditions while interviewing community service providers, who reported: “that people who are homeless or unsuitably housed were experiencing extreme sunburn and symptoms of heat stroke, something they fear will get worse as the summer continues”. A few articles also referenced mortality outcomes for people experien–cing homelessness in the heat. For example, an interview between a reporter and Union Gospel Mission representative quoted that, “Death is a possibility for those without shelter”. Similarly, another article quoting a climate adaptation researcher stated that “It’s not really the average person who’s likely to die from a heat wave event. It’s somebody who is living on the street, somebody who has pre-existing health conditions because they are not able to access the health care that they need”.

Although most articles mentioned the health impacts as warnings, a few shared stories directly from people experiencing homelessness or insecure housing; for example, one article shared a series of excerpts from individuals living in an unairconditioned supportive housing unit near the Downtown East side of Vancouver, British Columbia, with quotes illustrating that “it was so hot in the building that you could not even get your breath”. Another occupant reported that the “room[s] felt like a sauna, even at night. And when he went outside to scrounge for scrap metal, cans and bottles, he passed out multiple times from the heat”.

3.2. Theme II: “Hot Weather Prompts Water Drive for Homeless”

The articles mentioned numerous community services being activated to support those experiencing homelessness. The most common initiative identified was the provision of water, with many articles helping to promote community agencies’ requests for bottled water donations. For example, one article reported: “The wave could create a dangerous situation for [people] experiencing homelessness, worries that prompted the Mustard Seed to call for water bottle donations Wednesday after depleting their supply. It was an immediate, amazing, compassionate response”. Many articles also reported on emergency services (e.g., peace officers, firefighters, paramedics) providing bottled water during the heat wave (e.g., “Saskatoon police, fire departments handing out water amid heat wave”). Likewise, social service groups reported similar initiatives. For example, “This Salvation Army team is getting ready to head out again…We have our outreach team, who, on a daily basis, go out into the community and offer our unsheltered people water. Hydrate, hydrate, that is the message”.

Groups went beyond bottled water in some areas to ensure broader water supplies were available. This included borrowing emergency water tanks (e.g., “Alpha House also has teams handing out water and has borrowed an emergency water tank from the city to increase its supply of cold drinking water”) and water wagons (e.g., “In Calgary, water wagons were being deployed”), as well as opening city buildings for water access (e.g., “city centres were open to the public with water available”). In addition, one article reported on a city installing additional water bottle filling stations, “noting access to water is critical for those experiencing homelessness, who may spend lengthy periods outdoors in all types of weather”.

Second to providing water, ensuring access to air-conditioned or cool spaces was the next most cited strategy in the media to support people experiencing homelessness during the 2021 Heat Dome. This included creating designated cooling centres and cooling stations. For example, “Nanaimo has opened a cooling centre for people living on the street” and “Vernon organizations were quick to coordinate efforts to ensure everyone living rough or experiencing homelessness was able to access clean, cool water, showers and seek relief indoors at cooling stations”. In addition, other agencies used the media to promote that their shelters had air conditioning. For example, “At the Salvation Army’s downtown location, volunteers gave out free water and snacks to people. The shelter opened at all hours and has air conditioning available to patrons”.

Other community groups were reported to have created additional shaded areas. For example, “The Salvation Army in Chilliwack says it is providing more water resources at their shelter and have an area set up on their property for people who are homeless to access shade and water”. Other groups established cooling tents (e.g., “In Abbotsford, UGM [Union Gospel Mission] is working with other groups to set up two cooling tents for the homeless”). Additionally, some agencies provided supplies for creating shade. For example, “Be the Change YYC founder Chaz Smith said they will have teams downtown this week to distribute water and other necessary supplies like tarps, blankets and hats to create shade”.

A few articles also mentioned ensuring that natural green spaces or parks were open for people experiencing homelessness to access shade. For example, “The parks board planned to open the west side of the park by June 29…but decided to open it one day earlier than planned because of the heat wave”. These articles commonly included statements reiterating the importance of the shade trees provide to people experiencing homelessness and how they “help get people off the sweltering concrete”. Other articles illustrated the effect of urban heat islands in areas without significant tree coverage, with one citing that “On Saturday, it was 32 °C in the shade in the Downtown East side, a part of the city that gets hotter than other neighbourhoods because there are not as many trees to provide shade. It’s also the city’s poorest neighbourhood, where many residents are either homeless or living in poor housing”. Another commonly mentioned strategy was establishing misting centres. Although all community members can access this strategy, it was often directly cited in media articles concerning homeless people. For example, one article stated, “We have established two misting centres for homeless people as the mercury climbs. We put up the misting tents on days where there’s heat warnings like today…The canopy tent is equipped with hoses spraying a light mist into the air, and is stocked with a supply of drinking water”. In addition to the core strategies of providing water and cool spaces, a few articles also mentioned support services providing people without housing with sun safety materials (i.e., sunscreen and hats), lighter summer clothing and cold consumables, such as freezies, Gatorades, and other cold foods.

Another strategy commonly cited in the media articles discussed outreach groups using different methods to provide people experiencing homelessness with heat-event relevant information, such as locations of cooling centres, where to find shade, which public facilities can be accessed during the day, where additional water resources can be found, and information on the dangers of heat. For example, one article cited, “Outreach workers canvassed the town informing contacts that the cooling centre was available, and provided hats, sunscreen and water to those who visited”. Another article reported that “additional officers [had] been doing proactive patrols to reach vulnerable and unhoused community members to connect them with resources and provide information about three City of Burnaby cooling locations”. In addition to the on-the-ground (or by-foot) strategies, other groups reported using print materials; for example, “Staff at Our Place, which provides support for those who are homeless, have been putting up posters and warning those who are on the street of the dangers of heat exposure”. This need to be ‘roving’ or moving for the population was frequently cited in the articles because, otherwise, the “unhoused may not see messaging about how to find assistance”.

Some communities also initiated ‘wellness checks,’ which included emergency services (e.g., police, firefighters) and other community outreach groups surveying the community on foot, bike or via patrol cars to conduct checks on the health and well-being of this population. For example, one article stated, “Additional RCMP [Royal Canadian Mounted Police] members will be working in Burnaby this weekend making proactive patrols to check on vulnerable and unhoused people”. Another cited that “The city will also have outreach teams conduct wellness checks on people who live outdoors to provide them with water and recommend that they move to a shaded area if they stay outdoors”. Although not discussed as much within the text, a few articles also mentioned homelessness outreach organizations monitoring and providing first aid when needed.

Within the media articles, calls to the public to look out for the population living on the streets were also frequently identified. For example, one article stated, “Edmontonians are being asked to keep an eye out for some of the city’s most vulnerable people who may be struggling as the province begins what is expected to be a historic heat wave…the heat can be dangerous for people who are homeless and he wants Edmontonians to keep watch for anyone who might be in trouble”. In addition to broad public calls, other requests were published to private groups to help check on vulnerable groups (e.g., operators of single-room occupancy hotels).

Lastly, it was also identified in the media articles that some agencies also activated transportation services for people experiencing homelessness to help improve access to cooling centres or supply and service depots (provide basic services like food, drinking water, washrooms, sunscreen, clothing). For example, an agency called Pounds not only “expand[ed] its hours during the heatwave to provide people with a safe place to avoid the heat…[but] also provided shuttle services and water delivery to and from known homeless camps in the community”. Similarly, other agencies moved their services to high-density areas. For example, “Normally, the Community Cares Kitchen…started providing those meals down at the riverbank too, along with cold water and other services…[as] many residents cannot make the trip to Access Place, even when temperatures are not climbing to near record levels”.

3.3. Theme III: “Homeless People May Face Exclusion Due to Stigma from Cooling off in Air-Conditioned Spaces”

Additional challenges, barriers, and complexities experienced by people experiencing homelessness were often mentioned within the articles. Among the most common challenges reported was access to cooling centres outside of standard business hours. Although many groups established cooling areas (as discussed above), the limited hours of operation of some of these services posed a critical challenge. Many were reported to only be in operation Monday to Friday (i.e., not open weekends) and were open for limited hours. Further, many support services were unavailable on Canada Day (a statutory holiday), which fell within the week of the 2021 Heat Dome. Although some agencies could extend their hours during the heat wave and open cooling spaces over weekends, unhoused people had limited or no options for reprieve from the heat in some areas.

Another noteworthy challenge faced by people experiencing homelessness in some areas during the 2021 Heat Dome was the removal of encampment communities (or ‘tent cities’), which provide shade to those without other options. For example, one article reported: “Adding to the challenges are eviction notices that have gone up at two homeless encampments in the community…The city is warning people they have to leave the George Street camp Friday and the Patricia Boulevard camp on Monday, or face fines and arrest….About three dozen tents are in the encampment”. Similarly, closures or the delayed opening of community parks posed challenges to the homeless during the 2021 Heat Dome, as illustrated by the executive director of the Overdose Prevention Society, who said, “Keeping the park closed could have serious health consequences. Closing a park, having people lying around on the cement as an alternative could be lethal”.

The COVID-19 pandemic was also ongoing at the time of the 2021 Heat Dome, which further exacerbated challenges for people experiencing homelessness. For example, one article quoted a community service provider saying, “We’ve seen a lot of our clients with heat exhaustion, dealing with trying to stay hydrated, dealing with trying to find a cool place, which right now is really hard with COVID implications”. The articles often attributed this to a lack of open cool spaces and less access to drinking water (e.g., “People experiencing homelessness do not have access to fresh water like you and I do, and COVID has added an additional barrier to them even accessing public washrooms to find a tap”). Further, COVID-19 public health measures, such as capacity limits, masking, physical distancing, and contact tracing (e.g., need for phone number or address), further complicated access to cooling facilities. For example, one article reported that the “COVID-19 pandemic has added an extra obstacle because capacity restrictions in many buildings mean there are fewer indoor places to go to cool down”. Similarly, COVID-19 protocols reduced access to other water features, such as fountains and spray parks.

Another barrier identified was stigma towards those experiencing homelessness and its effect on accessing heat mitigation services. For example, one article cited that people experiencing homelessness “may face exclusion due to stigma from cooling off in air-conditioned spaces such as malls and other publicly accessible facilities”. Another article elaborated that despite drop-in cooling centres being offered at places like public libraries to alleviate the physical stress of constant heat, “these environments can be uncomfortable and stigmatizing for people who are unhoused…I think the library does a good job of trying not to stigmatize, it’s just that walking into a place when you have not had a shower, and your option is to sit in a hard chair, and you’re tired but cannot fall asleep, and probably want to lay on the floor—it’s not ideal for friends without homes”.