This article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process and policies. Editors have highlighted the following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility: People experiencing unsheltered homelessness in Salt Lake City face hours of dangerous daytime heat and hot nights that offer little relief, according to a University of Utah study. Researchers also found that tree shade helps people feel measurably cooler, making it a critical resource for those without access to shelter.
The paper, "Trees reduce daytime urban heat risk for people experiencing unsheltered homelessness," was published in the Journal of Urban Health. The findings are featured in Unsheltered Homelessness and Extreme Urban Heat in Salt Lake County, Utah, a report released on Oct. 5 that brings together three U-led studies examining extreme heat and unsheltered homelessness. The research combines real-time heat measurements with interviews with people experiencing homelessness and local business staff to identify heat risks, barriers to finding refuge and ways to provide better protection.
"When it's hot, we go inside. If it's cold, we go inside. If the air quality is poor, we have places to find refuge.
If you don't have access to secure housing, that's a huge problem," said Jeff Rose, associate professor in the Department of Parks, Recreation, & Tourism at the University of Utah, lead author of the study and co-author of the report. Published in the Journal of Urban Health, the heat-measurement study is one of the first to track personal, real-time heat exposure of people experiencing unsheltered homelessness. Researchers followed eight participants in Salt Lake City from July 29 through Aug. 3, 2024.
Participants carried GPS-enabled cellphones and portable heat sensors as they went about their daily lives, allowing researchers to measure their heat exposure and compare it with the surrounding tree canopy. Researchers collected nearly 10,000 heat-index observations to track the intensity and length of participants' heat exposure during the day and overnight. During the daytime, participants were exposed to moderate risk (91 °F, 33 °C) for nearly 20% of their daytime hours.
High (103 °F, 39 °C) and very high/extreme risk conditions (115 °F, 46 °C) were less common, less than 4% of the time, but they did occur. Nighttime offered little relief. Participants spent an average of 69% of nighttime hours above the "hot night" threshold (68 °F, 20 °C), when sleep tends to be disrupted, and 16% in "very hot night" (77 °F, 25 °C) conditions.
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