CSBG-DCL-2022-41 Mitigating Heat Stress in Vulnerable Populations FY 2022

Publication Date: July 27, 2022
Current as of:

Community Services Block Grant

Dear Colleague Letter

DCL#: CSBG-DCL-2022-41

DATE: July 27, 2022

TO: The CSBG Network

SUBJECT: Mitigating Heat Stress in Vulnerable Populations

ATTACHMENT(S): N/A

Dear Colleague,

The purpose of this message is to highlight the many ways that the Community Services Block Grant (CSBG) can assist in mitigating heat stress for vulnerable populations impacted by recent heat waves. During this past week, more than 100 million people across the country—almost one-third of the U.S. population—were under excessive heat warnings or heat advisories. The climate crisis is making heat waves more intense and frequent, endangering communities and vulnerable households across the country. Communities of color and low-income households disproportionately feel the threat of extreme weather as they are more likely to live in “urban heat islands ” and are often unable to afford adequate air conditioning due to economic factors. 

Extreme Heat’s Impact on Health and Safety

Warmer temperatures increase the risk of a diverse range of negative health outcomes. When people are exposed to extreme heat, they can suffer from potentially fatal illnesses. Health risks include dehydration which can lead to blood pressure issues and kidney injury; heat exhaustion which can lead to heat stroke if not treated; and worsening asthma and chronic pulmonary disease.

We know that extreme heat kills more Americans than any other weather-related event, with approximately 700 deaths and 9,200 hospitalizations each year because of extreme heat. A recent New York City study shows that the rate at which Black people die from extreme heat is twice as high as other racial and ethnic groups, making extreme heat both a public health emergency and a racial and environmental justice crisis. Additional populations that face more significant health risks from extreme heat include people who are elderly and live alone, have existing health conditions, have poor access to healthcare, live in rural areas, work outdoors, have low incomes, live in deficient housing, and live in urban areas without adequate tree cover. Children are also particularly vulnerable to heat-related illness and death, as their bodies are less able to adapt to heat than adults, and they must rely on others to help keep them safe.

How Can CSBG Help?

CSBG funds can be used for summer crisis assistance and disaster response to mitigate the effects of heat stress and extreme heat events. Given CSBG’s block grant structure, grant recipients have the flexibility to adjust current programs or implement new programs to mitigate the risks of weather-related events, including current and future heat waves. Grant recipients are not required to obtain prior approval from OCS before implementing these kinds of measures. Grant recipients can implement changes, programs, and policies to help address heat stress immediately. If significant policy changes are required, such as a major change to a state’s use of its discretionary T/TA funds, grant recipients may submit a revised CSBG State Plan within a reasonable amount of time after implementing the policy change(s) in order to provide documentation.

Grant recipients and Community Action Agencies can leverage the flexibility of CSBG funding to support a multitude of activities to mitigate heat stress including, but not limited to:

  • Providing assistance to households who are not served by the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP): Households with income over 150 percent of the federal poverty level (FPL), or 60 percent of the state median income, are not income eligible for LIHEAP. However, CSBG CARES and FY 2022 regular appropriations extended eligibility for CSBG to households up to 200 percent FPL. CSBG funds can therefore be used to provide necessary services (e.g., bill payment support, provision of cooling equipment, etc.) for households just over the eligibility threshold for LIHEAP.
  • Braiding and blending LIHEAP and CSBG funds: Leveraging both LIHEAP and CSBG funds to provide cooling assistance or extend a cooling assistance program can mean more significant benefits for eligible families and/or an extended cooling program that accepts applications later in the summer months.  
  • Purchasing, repairing, or replacing cooling equipment for vulnerable households: Not all grant recipients and CAAs have an established cooling assistance program; however, grant recipients can purchase, replace, and repair cooling equipment for eligible households without offering bill assistance.
  • Assisting households who have been deferred for weatherization: Helping households access weatherization services more quickly can protect them from future extreme heat events.
  • Establishing neighborhood cooling centers: Establishing cooling centers might include working with other public facilities such as local schools, community centers, and government buildings to establish a waiting area where people can remain cool during the hottest periods of the day. Establishing a cooling center might also include coordinating with emergency response teams in states, Tribes, territories, and localities to ensure that they are aware of cooling centers, how to refer people for immediate needs, help moving homebound individuals to cooling centers if needed, and other related issues.
  • Transporting individuals to cooling centers: Providing reliable transportation to cooling centers may be the only way that some individuals and families can access this resource.
  • Implementing targeted heat-relief campaigns and outreach to households at greatest risk: Support services may include telephone calls, home visits, and public service announcements to ensure vulnerable individuals and families are in temperature-safe environments. Interventions may also include heat-relief services to make sure vulnerable community members have working air conditioning units, are setting the thermostat to a temperature that is safe for their medical needs — which might involve consultations with medical professionals, and helping transport people to a cooling center.
  • Supporting individuals who are outdoors: Providing bottled water and coverings to protect against the sun to unhoused individuals and outdoor workers, including seasonal and migrant farmworkers, can help reduce the effects of extreme heat.
  • Forming a heat workgroup within your community: Workgroups can be a useful tool for engaging stakeholders and keeping the community informed on an agency’s ongoing efforts. The workgroup can provide a better understanding of the challenges and best practices in identifying and protecting vulnerable populations from heat hazards. The workgroup can also develop a Heat Action Plan to protect communities from rising temperatures. The plan may include a strategic and comprehensive set of actions to strengthen resilience to extreme heat.

As a reminder, CSBG grant recipients can make policy and program changes at any time to fully use their CSBG funding, including using CARES funding to help mitigate heat stress in vulnerable communities. Please visit our CSBG CARES Act Grantee Toolkit for additional resources on CSBG CARES funding guidance. Please do not hesitate to get in touch with your CSBG Program Specialist if you have any questions. Remember, we will not be able to redistribute unused CARES funding - we encourage you to obligate all funds by the applicable due date.

Online Information Resources

The resources below provide additional information on ways to mitigate heat stress in your communities. For example:

  • OCS Resources: OCS developed an Extreme Heat website to provide additional online resources including the Heat Stress Geographic Information (GIS) Dashboard to help grant recipients and stakeholders track, visualize, and respond to heat stress trends and needs across the country.
  • Organizational Action: The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Excessive Heat Events Guidebook was created to help community leaders plan for and respond to heat stress events.
  • Client Education: The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has frequently asked questions and answers to help individuals and community leaders recognize the signs of heat stress. Additionally, the federal Ready.gov provides information about extreme heat and is available in Arabic, English, Spanish, French, Haitian Creole, Japanese, Korean, Russian, Tagalog, Vietnamese, and Chinese.
  • Public Health Research on Fans: See WebMD’s article on electric fans . Additionally, a study published in the Annals of Internal Medicine in 2019  suggested that the use of fans might be okay for a muggy day, but not necessarily for extreme dry heat. Here is one example of how a state has messaged the use of fans during extreme heat. 

Take Action Within Your Communities

Please begin to take immediate action by building public awareness and strengthening community services and responses to extreme heat in your community. Please contact your CSBG Program Specialist with any questions.

Thank you for your attention to these matters. OCS looks forward to continuing to provide high-quality services to OCS partners.

/s/
Charisse Johnson
Director, Division of Community Assistance
Office of Community Services