Grant: Catalyst Grant: CBR in Climate Change Priority Area - Climate Justice

CONTEXT: Climate change is causing increased and more extreme weather events, such as heat waves that result in wildfires (causing poor air quality) and very cold temperatures. These and other types of extreme weather have devastating effects on people experiencing homelessness (PEH). Without shelter or support, PEH face greater health risks due to extreme weather. This is a key concern of municipalities who offer front-line supports to PEH. Municipalities have identified a need to gather evidence on effective interventions for municipal support of PEH during extreme weather events. PURPOSE: We will build on previous community-based research with the City of Edmonton to identify evidence-informed strategies for the development of municipal policy and programs that better support PEH during extreme weather. APPROACH: We propose a multi-method study, organized in three parts. Part 1 involves a literature review and environmental scan to identify current community interventions and best practices to address extreme weather events for PEH. In Part 2, we will use a case study design with various methods (e.g., interviews with stakeholders, document review) to explore the effectiveness of different supports in 3 municipalities. In Part 3, the research team, which includes our knowledge users, will use the data from Parts 1 and 2 to co-create recommendations for best practices and municipal interventions to guide action and address the impacts of extreme weather events on PEH. Part 3 will also include a town hall event to share our findings with the public and other key stakeholders, which may also lead to future partnerships in this area. IMPACT: This project will contribute much needed evidence on municipal actions that the City of Edmonton, and other municipalities, can use to better support PEH during extreme weather. More broadly, it will facilitate municipal policy and program action that may improve PEH health outcomes resulting from varied extreme weather events.