“ Death Is a Possibility for Those without Shelter ”: A Thematic Analysis of News Coverage on Homelessness and the 2021 Heat Dome in Canada

Emily J. Tetzlaff, Farah Mourad, Nicholas Goulet, Melissa Gorman, Rachel Siblock, Sean A. Kidd, Mariya Bezgrebelna and Glen P. Kenny ()
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Emily J. Tetzlaff: Human and Environmental Physiology Research Unit, School of Human Kinetics, University of Ottawa, 125 University Private, Ottawa, ON K1N 6N5, Canada
Farah Mourad: Human and Environmental Physiology Research Unit, School of Human Kinetics, University of Ottawa, 125 University Private, Ottawa, ON K1N 6N5, Canada
Nicholas Goulet: Human and Environmental Physiology Research Unit, School of Human Kinetics, University of Ottawa, 125 University Private, Ottawa, ON K1N 6N5, Canada
Melissa Gorman: Climate Change and Innovation Bureau, Healthy Environments and Consumer Safety Branch, Safe Environments Directorate, Health Canada, 269 Laurier Avenue W., Ottawa, ON K1A 0P8, Canada
Rachel Siblock: Climate Change and Innovation Bureau, Healthy Environments and Consumer Safety Branch, Safe Environments Directorate, Health Canada, 269 Laurier Avenue W., Ottawa, ON K1A 0P8, Canada
Sean A. Kidd: Slaight Family Centre for Youth in Transition, Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, 1001 Queen Street W., Toronto, ON M6J 1H4, Canada
Mariya Bezgrebelna: Slaight Family Centre for Youth in Transition, Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, 1001 Queen Street W., Toronto, ON M6J 1H4, Canada
Glen P. Kenny: Human and Environmental Physiology Research Unit, School of Human Kinetics, University of Ottawa, 125 University Private, Ottawa, ON K1N 6N5, Canada

IJERPH, 2024, vol. 21, issue 4, 1-15

Abstract: Among the most vulnerable to the health-harming effects of heat are people experiencing homelessness. However, during the 2021 Heat Dome, the deadliest extreme heat event (EHE) recorded in Canada to date, people experiencing homelessness represented the smallest proportion of decedents (n = 3, 0.5%)—despite the impacted region (British Columbia) having some of the highest rates of homelessness in the country. Thus, we sought to explore the 2021 Heat Dome as a media-based case study to identify potential actions or targeted strategies that were initiated by community support agencies, individuals and groups, and communicated in the news during this EHE that may have aided in the protection of this group or helped minimize the mortality impacts. Using media articles collated for a more extensive investigation into the effects of the 2021 Heat Dome (n = 2909), we identified a subset which included content on people experiencing homelessness in Canada (n = 274, 9%). These articles were thematically analysed using NVivo. Three main themes were identified: (i) public warnings issued during the 2021 Heat Dome directly addressed people experiencing homelessness, (ii) community support services explicitly targeting this population were activated during the heat event, and (iii) challenges and barriers faced by people experiencing homelessness during extreme heat were communicated. These findings suggest that mass-media messaging and dedicated on-the-ground initiatives led by various organizations explicitly initiated to support individuals experiencing homelessness during the 2021 Heat Dome may have assisted in limiting the harmful impacts of the heat on this community.

Keywords: housing insecure; unhoused; unsheltered; public health; extreme heat; heat wave; heat alert and response systems; 2021 Heat Dome; Canada (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2024
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