By Jennifer Paradis
Homelessness
Jennifer Paradis
Every winter, Beth-El Center opens an additional shelter program that offers overnight respite to individuals experiencing literal homelessness in greater Milford. This program closed on April 1 after serving over 90 individuals in greater Milford for the 2022-2023 winter season. Some came just for a few nights, while others stayed every night this season.
The program started because our community suffered a devastating loss nearly 10 years ago. With nowhere in Milford to go on a freezing cold night, a veteran died outside.
Today, due to the impact of climate change, deadly weather events occur all year round. As homeless service providers, we are responsible for leading our communities in providing support far greater than a seasonal cold-weather program. We must understand the close link between climate change and homelessness, and work toward sustainable solutions that address both simultaneously.
As we approach Earth Day, we must reflect on all the ways in which we rely on our planet to continue providing safe, consistent resources to us all. We build whole communities around this understanding with no backup plan for when that assumption fails.
Unfortunately, the impacts of climate change are increasing housing instability and homelessness across the country. As reported by the US Interagency Council on Homelessness, 40 percent of the 339 heat-related deaths in Arizona in 2021 occurred among people experiencing unsheltered homelessness. Drought and wildfires in California have destroyed long-standing communities and homes, disproportionately affecting people living in poverty and making it more difficult to recover. Driven in part by these disasters, hundreds of poor households migrated to the Mojave Desert, where they endure life-threatening heat and cold and no running water for miles.
Most recently, the devastating tornadoes in Mississippi eliminated entire towns. The result is a massive loss of affordable housing and a growing displacement of people experiencing climate-caused homelessness.Older adults, Black and brown communities, and those living in low-income housing are especially vulnerable to this type of homelessness.
Rather than an overnight crisis, the impacts of climate change on homelessness can feel like a gradual spiral into poverty. Extreme heat and cold cause nearly immediate economic instability – raising the price of energy, water and food, increasing financial burdens on people already at risk of homelessness. These high energy bills can lead to utility shutoffs which can (and do) lead to evictions, housing instability and homelessness.
As we work to end homelessness throughout the country, local and sustainable efforts are necessary. As you have heard me say before, the two-pronged approach of crisis-response coupled with long-term strategic planning are key.
Today, we need to ensure that financial resources are available year-round for weather-related shelter response. Sadly, the death that spearheaded the opening of our cold weather program was not the last. Days before our program opened for the winter in 2020, another man experiencing homelessness died in the fire he lit to keep himself warm on a deeply cold fall night. Now, with unpredictable weather occurring across all seasons, lives depend on immediate access to these life-saving services.
At the same time, we need to plan ahead by building eco-friendly and affordable housing that focuses on resiliency. Green communities are our future, and that future will be brightest if we focus on ensuring the health and stability of both our planet and of people experiencing homelessness.
Jennifer Paradis is the executive director of the Beth-El Center in Milford.