Out of the storm: Extreme weather resilience for community homelessness

This paper reports on the outcomes of a collaborative, strengths-based program developed to improve the preparedness of people experiencing homelessness during extreme weather in South Australia. The program, Out of the Storm, provided resources for dealing with heat, cold and storms that were co-designed by people experiencing homelessness, emergency services and health provider representatives and volunteer graphic designers. The program employed peer outreach workers who delivered 278 emergency kits and maps and who conducted 466 conversations about extreme weather with other people in experiencing homelessness in South Australia. This paper outlines the Out of the Storm program, including how principles of Trauma-Informed Extreme Weather Resilience Education were incorporated. This evaluation demonstrated that the Out of the Storm activities gave people access to relevant information and weatherprotection items and built confidence, opportunities and social connections within the community and with emergency services organisations and health providers. © 2020 Australian Institute for Disaster Resilience