As the UK cooks in unprecedented temperatures, news sites are full of tips on how to stay safe. Most of it is what I will reluctantly refer to as common sense: drink plenty of water, keep out of the midday sun and stay indoors. But what if you are street homeless?
Nobody is more vulnerable to extreme temperatures than people forced to live on the streets. Of course, it’s usually winter cold snaps that awaken our compassion, as we walk past people shivering in doorways. But as climate scientists today warned, the UK is no longer a cold country – and unless we prepare for more of these extreme heatwaves, thousands of excess deaths will follow. And as with extreme cold, homeless people are much more vulnerable to extreme heat.
