Heat-related deaths among the unsheltered have skyrocketed in recent years. As Las Vegas’ summers get longer and hotter, the unhoused are often the first to suffer.
To see what the effects of extreme heat may be like on a large scale if things don’t change, look no further than the unhoused people in your own city "You’ll see guys sleeping under blankets, and they won’t move for a few hours. So, you go to check on them and you realize ‘Oh, he’s dead,’” says Santiago, his face drawn, as he sits with a small group of other men on the sidewalk outside Catholic Charities of Southern Nevada’s main campus. He’s describing what being unhoused is like in Las Vegas a city with increasingly extreme temperatures because of climate change and a growing homeless population, exacerbated by pandemic-related evictions and a rising cost of living. This combination of factors is leading to a startling increase of deaths among the unhoused: According to reporting done by the Review-Journal, Clark County saw an 80 percent increase in heat-related fatalities among the homeless community from 2020 to 2021. Santiago’s story illustrates the d
Most tenants facing eviction don t have legal representation, but advocates in Illinois are trying to change that. The Chicago Department of Housing announced a pilot program in April to provide low-income renters with free legal representation when facing eviction. Advocates view this as a step in the right direction, but note it falls short of a guaranteed right to counsel for tenants. .