The forecast for the coming days a heat wave expects “highs into the 90s and heat index values above 100 through early next week.”
Last year, Chicago City Council overwhelmingly called for an Extreme Weather Working Group to build and refine Chicago’s Extreme Weather Response Plan. The call followed local outrage that the City had not adequately prepared to help unsheltered residents stay safe during the heat wave. One year later, little progress has been made and the City appears ready to take the unconscionable step of once again, closing its cooling centers when a heat wave coincides with a weekend or holiday.
Despite our misgivings, we remain hopeful that City leadership under Mayor Johnson will make 2025 the year when Chicago finally begins to prepare for the health impact climate change will have on our unsheltered neighbors and other residents. 2025 is the 30th anniversary of the 1995 heat wave, which became the deadliest in U.S. History when over 700 people lost their lives due to heat in less than a week. We are encouraged by the progress our friends have made in the Defusing Disasters Working Group to develop a set of 30 policy recommendations to help residents manage the health impact of extreme heat.
We now call upon the City to develop the infrastructure to consider and implement these and similar policy recommendations. Last year, our coalition, the One System Initiative, The Continuum of Care’s Front Door Line of Action, and Chicago’s Homelessness and Health Response Group for Equity (CHHRGE) each put forth similar policy proposals that would serve as public health interventions related to extreme weather and homelessness. City Council’s Committee on Public Safety also held a subject matter hearing on the topic in October. The ideas are there – now we need to see action and results on the ground.
About the Coalition
The Chicago Extreme Weather Planners Coalition is composed of organizations and advocates committed to protecting vulnerable Chicagoans from extreme weather. With expertise in public health, healthcare, outreach, and community organizing, this group is dedicated to working with City leadership to develop sustainable solutions to homelessness and extreme weather challenges.