No Christmas In July

I’m one of those people who is cold from October to May. I have sweatshirts reserved specifically for wearing around my apartment, and I once wore gloves to class. In the dead of winter, it is easy to understand why it is terrible to live outside. The snow, the ice, the deadly frost all make it nearly impossible to survive even in a temperate city like Baltimore. These conditions might seem like a long-lost memory from our vantage point in mid-July, but summer is just as dangerous a time to be experiencing homelessness — except fewer people are paying attention. When the temperature rises, most of us roll up our car windows and turn on the air conditioning, dividing us from our homeless neighbors.

Perhaps because of the holiday season, or because the cold is so inescapable in winter months, there is far more outreach to vulnerable populations at other times of the year. Organizations including the Food Bank, the Salvation Army, and the Red Cross report decreased donations and support in summer months, but need often increases during this time, especially because children are out of school and rely on their families for more services.

Some local efforts to support those experiencing homelessness are meeting the basic needs of those who don’t have their own AC, but only in very specific conditions. When it is 70° or 80° degrees, it is already uncomfortable to be outside for an entire day and night, but it isn’t until the thermometer hits 90° that cities will invite their homeless citizens indoors.  Cooling centers catering to people experiencing homelessness are set up in cities across the country, including Baltimore, Philadelphia, Los Angeles, and others. Often these sites are in public libraries, and offer some air conditioning and water.

I often promote housing as one of the most basic human needs, but the dangerously hot summer months serve as a reminder that this isn’t only a question of comfort or long term well-being and happiness — not having housing is an immediate health risk in July.

The option to cool off for a few hours — the centers are not open around the clock — is crucial to the survival of this vulnerable population. Also crucial are things like medical attention, access to healthy food, a place for personal hygiene, and the peace of mind that comes with having a safe place to live, but these are not made readily available. For now, it seems that all some cities can provide is a short reprieve from the blistering summer heat.