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Heatwaves are Homelessness’s Overlooked Crisis

Heatwaves are Homelessness’s Overlooked Crisis

Heatwaves are Homelessness’s Overlooked Crisis

Thursday, July 30, 2026

This article was originally published on 9 July 2026 by Ahmetcan Uzlaşık - Journalist and Podcast Host at REVOLVE

As Europe heats up, people experiencing homelessness remain among the least protected from extreme temperatures.

Across Europe, heatwaves are becoming longer, more frequent and more intense. Yet while climate adaptation often focuses on infrastructure and energy systems, one of the most vulnerable groups remains largely overlooked: people experiencing homelessness. Simona Barbu, Policy Profiles Team Leader at FEANTSA (the European Federation of National Organisations Working with the Homeless), speaks with journalist Ahmetcan Uzlaşık about why heatwaves are increasingly becoming a homelessness issue, how current policies fail to protect people sleeping rough, and why affordable housing remains the most effective climate adaptation measure.

FEANTSA brings together organisations working on homelessness across Europe. What trends are you currently seeing?

Homelessness continues to rise across much of Europe. While countries such as Finland and Denmark have historically been recognised for their progress in reducing homelessness through policies such as Housing First, recent data suggest that even these countries are facing setbacks. Finland recorded its first increase in homelessness in more than a decade in 2024, while Denmark has also seen homelessness figures rise in recent years. Unfortunately, many other European cities, including Brussels, continue to experience a similar trend.

Beyond advocacy, FEANTSA conducts research, supports Housing First implementation through the Housing First Europe Hub, monitors housing rights across Europe, and works with legal experts, municipalities and service providers to identify effective housing solutions. From what we observe, homelessness has become increasingly visible in Brussels, reflecting broader European trends rather than being an isolated local issue.

Why do policymakers still tend to separate climate policy from homelessness policy?

This kind of policy fragmentation is something we see in many fields. Climate change, migration, housing and public health are often treated as separate policy areas, even though they are deeply interconnected.

Decision-makers understandably focus on the files they are directly responsible for, but that can make it difficult to recognise the wider consequences of their decisions. Climate change is not simply an environmental issue, it directly affects health, housing and social inclusion. One of FEANTSA’s roles is to demonstrate these links and encourage policymakers to think beyond institutional silos, because climate impacts are increasingly shaping people’s housing situations and wellbeing.

Many people associate homelessness with winter risks rather than summer. Why is that perception changing?

Winter has traditionally received far more attention because the dangers are immediately visible. People understand that someone sleeping outside can freeze to death. Heatwaves, however, have become much more severe only in recent years, and society has been slower to recognise their consequences.

Research now suggests that heat can be just as deadly, and in some contexts even deadlier. The rapid rise in temperatures across Europe has left both governments and public services underprepared. While the wider population can often adapt by staying indoors or accessing cooling, people experiencing homelessness frequently have no safe place to escape the heat. As a result, they are among the first to experience the health impacts of extreme temperatures.

Why are heat-related deaths among people experiencing homelessness so difficult to identify?

One of the biggest problems is that heat is rarely recorded as the underlying cause of death. Medical records may state that someone died from cardiac arrest, dehydration or another medical condition, but they often fail to acknowledge how prolonged exposure to extreme heat contributed to that outcome.

People sleeping rough are already living with poorer physical and mental health. They often struggle to stay hydrated, cannot properly rest, and spend long periods on overheated concrete or asphalt. Heatwaves amplify existing health conditions, increasing the likelihood of premature death. Unfortunately, those connections frequently disappear from official statistics, making the scale of the problem much harder to measure.

What health impacts do extreme heatwaves have beyond dehydration?

The effects go far beyond dehydration. Continuous exposure to high temperatures increases the risk of heat stress, skin conditions and heat stroke, but it also has major implications for mental health.

Heat stress can worsen anxiety, panic attacks and psychiatric conditions while increasing irritability and emotional distress. For individuals already living with mental health challenges, extreme heat may intensify existing symptoms. Some people may also turn to alcohol or drugs as coping mechanisms, which further increases health risks during heatwaves. Combined with chronic health conditions and poor living circumstances, these factors create a particularly dangerous situation.

Are drinking water and shade enough to protect people sleeping rough?

They are essential, but they are far from sufficient.

The real solution to homelessness is housing. Access to drinking water, shaded public spaces and emergency cooling facilities can reduce immediate risks during heatwaves, but they do not address the structural causes that leave people exposed in the first place.

People experiencing homelessness also face discrimination when accessing healthcare, meaning they often seek medical assistance only in emergency situations. This further compounds the health impacts of prolonged exposure to extreme weather. Temporary relief measures matter, but they cannot replace stable and affordable housing.

How can cities unintentionally make heatwaves even more dangerous?

Urban design plays an important role. Large cities often combine high air pollution with extensive concrete surfaces that trap heat, creating particularly harsh environments during summer.

Hostile architecture is another concern. Benches designed to prevent lying down, spikes placed in sheltered spaces, and other measures intended to discourage rough sleeping also remove some of the few places where people can escape direct sunlight or rest safely.

Basic infrastructure is equally important. Public drinking fountains remain limited in many cities, while access to public toilets often requires payment. These barriers make it much harder for people experiencing homelessness to maintain hygiene, stay hydrated and protect their health during periods of extreme heat.

FEANTSA highlights examples such as mapping public water fountains and toilets. Can initiatives like these make a difference?

Yes, although their impact depends heavily on awareness and accessibility.

Mapping drinking water points and public toilets is valuable, but people first need to know these services exist. That is where outreach teams and local NGOs play a crucial role by actively informing people and helping them access available resources.

However, these initiatives should be viewed as emergency support rather than long-term solutions. If reaching safe drinking water requires travelling across the city without transport, or if facilities remain too limited, many people will still struggle during extreme heat.

What would a heat-health action plan that includes homelessness actually look like?

Many of the tools already exist through winter emergency plans and could be adapted for heatwaves.

Cities could expand emergency shelter capacity during extreme heat, establish cooling centres, improve outreach services, distribute drinking water, and ensure that emergency accommodation itself remains safe and cool.

At the same time, climate adaptation cannot stop at emergency responses. Long-term housing strategies must be integrated into climate policy. Expanding affordable housing and scaling up Housing First approaches remain the most effective ways to reduce vulnerability to both winter cold and summer heat.

Looking ahead, are you optimistic about Europe’s response?

There are reasons for cautious optimism. For the first time, the European Commission has introduced a European Plan for Affordable Housing, while homelessness has gained greater visibility within broader anti-poverty discussions. Better data collection and stronger national strategies are also beginning to emerge.

At the same time, major challenges remain. Much of the political focus continues to prioritise new construction, while existing vacant and abandoned housing across Europe remains underused. If Europe wants to make meaningful progress towards ending homelessness, housing policies must focus not only on increasing supply, but also on affordability and ensuring that those in most vulnerable situations are not left behind.

As climate change intensifies, protecting people experiencing homelessness will require treating housing not only as a social policy issue, but also as a central component of climate adaptation.

Heatwaves: The Impact on People Ex­pe­ri­enc­ing Home­less­ness

Like other vulnerable populations across Europe, people experiencing homelessness face disproportionate risks from climate change, particularly during extreme heat events. Despite rising temperatures and growing public health concerns, this group is often overlooked in national and local climate adaptation strategies. FEANTSA’s latest Policy Brief examines the impact of heatwaves on people experiencing homelessness, highlighting the urgent need for inclusive, heat-health action plans.

Drawing on research and on-the-ground experiences from across Europe, the brief outlines six key policy recommendations and showcases inspiring practices from FEANTSA members. These insights aim to guide policymakers in developing more equitable climate responses that protect those most exposed to risk.

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