HUD releases guidance for protecting families against extreme heat

Extreme heat kills more people most years than hurricanes, floods and tornadoes combined. This summer has been abnormally hot, with some cities resorting to using body bags filled with ice to cool off residents.

These nationwide heat waves prompted The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to publish guidance in June on how to use federal funds to mitigate the impacts of extreme heat (defined as at least two to three days of high heat and humidity with temperatures above 90 F).

These new guidelines are aimed to help protect the most vulnerable populations: infants and children, people with chronic medical conditions, the elderly and people living in public housing.

"Home should be a place of comfort, and nobody should have to risk heat-related illness residing in their own home," said Richard Monocchio, principal deputy assistant secretary for the Office of Public and Indian Housing.

"This notice makes it as easy as possible for PHAs to help individuals and families in public housing afford air conditioning and reinforces PHAs ability to create cooling centers for residents in public housing. We are providing maximum local control and decision-making for an issue that impacts more and more communities across the country each year."

A closer look at the guidance

Effective on June 13, the department's guidance to Public Housing Agencies (PHAs) clarified the steps PHAs can take to immediately reduce the threat of extreme heat for residents by freeing up funds to provide families with immediate relief and helping them afford air conditioning.

HUD's extreme heat guidance provides more avenues to provide relief to residents. PHAs are allowed to increase utility allowances for residents and waive surcharge costs for the use of air conditioning during extreme heat.

Health journalists should note that some of the most effective solutions involve better educating the public on how to prepare for extreme heat. In your reporting, make sure you emphasize how quickly heat stroke occurs and that no one is immune to its effects. The telltale signs are extremely high body temperature (above 103 F); red, hot and dry skin with no sweat; a rapid, strong pulse; and dizziness, confusion or unconsciousness.

This guidance is part of a broader Biden Administration objective to reduce home energy costs for residents in public housing by making it easier to request and receive relief during extreme heat.

"We must protect the health and safety of our families during increasingly severe weather events, like extreme heat, that can cause grave harm and even death to any member of our community," said HUD Acting Secretary Adrianne Todman in a statement. "As we transition into the summer months, the need for public housing residents to access necessary cooling systems is vital and we are assertively taking these steps in the fight against extreme heat."

The main takeaway from the guidance is that PHAs will have more local control in defining what a heat wave is and how to respond to it. Heat affects communities differently depending on their preparedness for a heat wave, and this guidance seeks to include community and PHA resident voices.

Further emphasizing the need to address this problem, PBS recently covered how discriminatory housing policies of the past are shaping heat waves today in minority and low-income neighborhoods.

Additional resources

• HUD extreme heat webpage.
• HUD Exchange extreme heat webpage.
• Heat Waves Don't Have to Be So Deadly - Bloomberg.
• The Best Way to Fight Heat Waves and Outages Is to Green the Grid - The New Republic.
• Climate Change Indicators: Heat Waves - EPA.
• HeatRisk - National Weather Service.
• Facing Scorching Heat Waves, Cities Call on Scientists to Understand How People Respond - Scientific American.
• The US is failing renters during extreme heat waves - Vox.
• A crisis of isolation is making heat waves more deadly - Grist.