Extreme weather-related health needs of people who are homeless

2013 ◽  
Vol 19 (3) ◽  
pp. 250 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lynette Cusack ◽  
Antonia van Loon ◽  
Debbie Kralik ◽  
Paul Arbon ◽  
Sandy Gilbert
Keyword(s):  
Gap Analysis ◽  
Service Providers ◽  
South Australia ◽  
Homeless People ◽  
Extreme Weather ◽  
Health Needs ◽  
Extreme Weather Events ◽  
Temperate Climate ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Extreme Cold

To identify the extreme weather-related health needs of homeless people and the response by homeless service providers in Adelaide, South Australia, a five-phased qualitative interpretive study was undertaken. (1) Literature review, followed by semi-structured interviews with 25 homeless people to ascertain health needs during extreme weather events. (2) Identification of homeless services. (3) Semi-structured interviews with 16 homeless service providers regarding their response to the health needs of homeless people at times of extreme weather. (4) Gap analysis. (5) Suggestions for policy and planning. People experiencing homelessness describe adverse health impacts more from extreme cold, than extreme hot weather. They considered their health suffered more, because of wet bedding, clothes and shoes. They felt more depressed and less able to keep themselves well during cold, wet winters. However, homeless service providers were more focussed on planning for extra service responses during times of extreme heat rather than extreme cold. Even though a city may be considered to have a temperate climate with a history of very hot summers, primary homeless populations have health needs during winter months. The experiences and needs of homeless people should be considered in extreme weather policy and when planning responses.

scholarly journals Interrogating the Prevention Approach of the Housing (Wales) Act 2014 for People with Mental Health Needs Who Are Homeless

2019 ◽  
Vol 19 (1) ◽  
pp. 109-120 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michaela Rogers ◽  
Anya Ahmed ◽  
Iolo Madoc-Jones ◽  
Andrea Gibbons ◽  
Katy Jones ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Service Providers ◽  
Homeless People ◽  
Poor Mental Health ◽  
Health Needs ◽  
Critical Examination ◽  
Welfare Regimes ◽  
Prevention Policy ◽  
Mental Health Needs ◽  
New Evidence

Rates of homelessness and poor mental health present significant challenges across the globe. In this article, we explore how these intersecting issues have been addressed in Wales through Part 2 of the Housing (Wales) Act 2014 through a paradigm shift towards a prevention model. This article reports findings from a study (conducted between 2016 and 2018) which evaluated the processes and impacts of the Act against the backdrop of welfare reform and systemic changes taking place in Wales and the UK. Using new evidence, we offer a critical examination of how homelessness prevention policy operates in practice and how social values and power affect policy implementation. We offer new evidence of the translation of policy into practice through the experiences of two stakeholder groups: people with mental health needs and service providers. In doing so, we offer a critique of how policy and practice could be modified to improve outcomes for homeless people with implications for prevention policy in Wales and in other contexts and different welfare regimes.

scholarly journals Impacts of extreme weather on the health and well-being of people who are homeless

2014 ◽  
Vol 20 (1) ◽  
pp. 2 ◽  
Author(s):  
Catherine G. A. Pendrey ◽  
Marion Carey ◽  
Janet Stanley
Keyword(s):  
Service Providers ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Extreme Weather ◽  
Homeless Population ◽  
Extreme Weather Events ◽  
Original Research ◽  
Primary Health ◽  
Weather Events ◽  
Health And Well Being ◽  
Expected Increase

This letter responds to the article by Cusack et al., ‘Extreme weather-related health needs of people who are homeless’ (Australian Journal of Primary Health, 2013, 19(3), 250–255), which addressed the impacts of extreme weather on the health of the homeless population in inner city Adelaide. We compare the findings of Cusack et al. to our own original research, based on interviews with service providers to the homeless in urban and rural Victoria. We further place this issue in the broader context of climate change, which is crucial given the expected increase in extreme weather events and associated health impacts.

scholarly journals Advancing Seaport Resilience to Natural Hazards Due to Climate Change: Strategies to Overcome Decision Making Barriers

2021 ◽  
Vol 2 ◽  
Author(s):  
Elizabeth L. Mclean ◽  
Austin Becker
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Decision Making ◽  
Extreme Weather ◽  
Decision Makers ◽  
Extreme Weather Events ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Sustainable Operations ◽  
Weather Events ◽  
The Face ◽  
Research And Education

Climate change and extreme weather events put in peril the critical coastal infrastructure that is vital to economies, livelihoods, and sustainability. However, for a variety of reasons, decision makers often do not implement potential adaptation strategies to plan and adjust to climate and extreme weather events. To respond to the question of how seaport decision makers perceive strategies to overcome the barriers to adaptation we used semi-structured interviews of 30 seaport directors/managers, environmental specialists, and safety managers from 15 medium- and high-use ports of the U.S. North Atlantic. This paper contributes four broad strategies identified by seaport decision makers as necessary to help them advance on this challenge: funding, better planning or guidance, research and education, and advocacy/lobbying. We coded these strategies parallel to our partner paper that identified seven key barriers faced by the same set of decision makers. Results can help direct resources in ways targeted to the needs of seaport decision makers. The proposed framework contributes to theories of resilience building and barriers to decision making. Being strategic about change facilitates effective adaptation, decreasing risk, and enables continuity of safe, and sustainable, operations of U.S. seaports in the face of climate and extreme weather events.

scholarly journals Making Gendered Healthcare Work Visible: Over-Looked Labour in Four Diverse European Settings

2019 ◽  
Vol 7 (2) ◽  
pp. 33-43 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hannah Bradby ◽  
Jenny Phillimore ◽  
Beatriz Padilla ◽  
Tilman Brand
Keyword(s):  
Service Providers ◽  
Point Of View ◽  
Health Needs ◽  
Health Priorities ◽  
Public Healthcare ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Healthcare Provision ◽  
The Public ◽  
Universal Healthcare ◽  
Healthcare Work

Healthcare has long been a gendered enterprise, with women taking responsibility for maintaining health and engaging with service providers. Universal healthcare provision notwithstanding, women nonetheless undertake a range of healthcare work, on their own account and on behalf of others, which remains largely invisible. As part of a multi-method comparative European study that looked at access to healthcare in diverse neighbourhoods from the point of view of people’s own health priorities, the concept of ‘healthcare bricolage’ describes the process of mobilizing resources and overcoming constraints to meet particular health needs. Bricolage mediates between different kinds of resources to meet particular challenges and describing these processes makes visible that work which has been unseen, over-looked and naturalised, as part of a gendered caring role. Drawing on 160 semi-structured interviews and a survey with 1,755 residents of highly diverse neighbourhoods in Germany, UK, Sweden and Portugal, this article illustrates the gendered nature of healthcare bricolage. The complex variations of women’s bricolage within and beyond the public healthcare system show how gendered caring roles intersect with migration status and social class in the context of particular healthcare systems.

Cities and extreme weather events: impacts of flooding and extreme heat on water and electricity services in Ghana

2020 ◽  
pp. 095624782095203
Author(s):  
Sam M Kayaga ◽  
Ebenezer F Amankwaa ◽  
Katherine V Gough ◽  
Rob L Wilby ◽  
Mercy A Abarike ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Low Income ◽  
Service Providers ◽  
Extreme Weather ◽  
Extreme Heat ◽  
Quality Analysis ◽  
Extreme Weather Events ◽  
Group Discussions ◽  
Weather Events ◽  
Heat Demand ◽  
Urban Settlements

Extreme weather events disproportionately affect residents of low-income urban settlements in the global South. This paper explores the impacts of extreme heat and flooding on water and electricity services in Accra and Tamale, Ghana. Interviews with water/electricity providers and water quality analysis are combined with household interviews, focus group discussions and observations conducted in eight low-income urban settlements. The findings highlight the interconnected nature of service provision during extreme weather events, with challenges in one sector reinforcing problems in another, exacerbating difficulties with access. Although households can utilize rainwater during flooding, it is highly susceptible to faecal contamination, and electricity supplies are often disconnected. During extreme heat, demand for water and electricity outstrips supply, leading to severe shortages, especially in Tamale. Water and electricity service providers should consider their interconnected nature and adopt a joined-up approach to cope with extreme weather events, which are predicted to increase with climate change.

A GAP ANALYSIS IN SERVICE QUALITY OF THAI LOGISTICS SERVICE PROVIDERS

2013 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chatwadee Tansakul ◽  
◽  
Jirachai Buddhakulsomsiri ◽  
Thananya Wasusri ◽  
Papusson Chaiwat ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Service Quality ◽  
Gap Analysis ◽  
Service Providers ◽  
Logistics Service ◽  
Logistics Service Providers

Identifying Communities’ Perspectives on their Health Needs in Impoverished Villages to Guide Non-government Organizations’ Health Promotion Efforts in Guatemala

2020 ◽  
Vol 7 (5) ◽  
pp. 9-20
Author(s):  
Claudia Bale
Keyword(s):  
Health Promotion ◽  
Community Health ◽  
Health Care Access ◽  
Family Health ◽  
Community Based Participatory Research ◽  
Health Needs ◽  
Health Conditions ◽  
Personal Health ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Non Profit

Objective: The aim of this mixed-methods study is to capture and understand impoverished Guatemalan community members’ perspectives of their own health needs on a community level in order to guide Hope of Life (HOL) Non-Profit organization’s health promotion interventions in the villages they serve. Methods: A modified health needs assessment survey was conducted with 96 participants from four impoverished villages in the department of Zacapa, Guatemala. Survey responses were analyzed for significant differences in 4-item individual, family, and community health scores across demographic variables and significant correlations with reported personal health conditions and children’s health conditions. Five semi-structured interviews were also conducted with community leaders from three of the villages surveyed. Interviews were audio recorded and responses were transcribed verbatim and translated from Spanish to English. Thematic analysis using HyperRESEARCH qualitative analysis software version 4.5.0. was conducted to identify major themes. Results: The mean age of the 96 participants surveyed was 40.4 years and the majority were women, married or in Union, and have children. Women reported a significantly lower individual and family health score than men. The most rural village included in the study had significantly lower family health scores than the three sub-urban villages in the study. Among the personal health problems reported by participants, alcohol consumption, dental problems, and malnutrition were significant predictors of lower individual health scores. Themes that emerged from the interview analysis included the greatest community health needs, perceived negative community health behaviors, barriers to health care access, HOL’s impact, and suggestions for community health promotion.   Conclusion: The results of this study reveal many unmet health needs and barriers to healthcare that Guatemalan village communities face. Community-based participatory research using a mixed approach voices communities’ perspective on their perceived needs and is an important tool to guide non-profit aid and intervention serving impoverished communities.

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