Amid heat, volunteers aid those experiencing homelessness in Hampton Roads

Hot weather like we had this weekend comes with risks like heat exhaustion and heat stroke and even death. Many opt to stay at home when the mercury rises into the triple digits.

But some people in our communities don’t have a home to go to.

That's why Portsmouth Volunteers for the Homeless say emergency shelters can be life-savers.

"We know individuals who are experiencing homelessness have an increased rate of death related to many diseases, so diabetes, asthma, lung diseases, many diseases and so being out in the inclement weathers whether it's the extreme cold or extreme warm will exacerbate those situations," said Darlene Sparks Washington, executive director for Portsmouth Volunteers for the Homeless. "We started in 2019 seeing an increase of individuals 62 and above, so you can imagine their tolerance for extreme heat and extreme weather is lower and their risk of dehydration is higher [than younger populations]."

Heat can worsen health and mental health conditions and can kill those experiencing homelessness at nearly twice the rate of those who have shelter, according to ScienceDirect researchers.

Washington said more people seek shelter during extreme weather, and the volunteers want to do anything they can to help. They picked up dozens of cases of water from community members recently, but in weather like this, they said more water and a little kindness is always appreciated.

"Whenever one part of our society is struggling, the entire community is struggling. So as much as we can wrap our arms around individuals in need and help them become productive citizens then as a community we grow and get better," said Washington. "They're just citizens who have fallen on difficult times. Those difficult times sometimes are not any different than what we experience, we just get to do it in the comfort and the four walls of our home."

Those who respond to heat emergencies told us last week that the other thing you can do during extreme weather is check on your neighbors, the elderly, and others who may be vulnerable.