The hot summer months can be hard to face, especially if you don’t have air conditioning in your home. But what if you don’t have a home at all?

More than 2,700 people live on the streets in Maricopa County, Arizona, according to a 2010 count from local social service agencies. With summer temperatures in the triple digits and heat warnings issued regularly, homeless people are at high risk for heat-related illnesses. For those of us who spend most of our time indoors, it can be hard to imagine being homeless in the heat.

Recent ASU graduate Cory Sanchez interviewed 27 homeless people in Phoenix last summer. The interviews were part of his work towards a Master’s degree from the School of Social Transformation. Although the state health department is working to provide relief to these people, Sanchez says there is still a lot to be done.

Extreme heat can lead to extreme sweating. That fluid loss leads to dehydration. Heat exposure can also cause hyperthermia, which happens when the body becomes so dangerously hot that sweating cannot cool it down. [Learn more about the effects of heat on the body]

Sanchez learned from his interviews that it’s not uncommon for homeless people to die from heat-related causes.

“There’s a guy that died by the shelter over there, found him dead. And another guy died in an alley over there,” said one man Sanchez spoke with.

The homeless population also has high rates of drug and alcohol abuse. Living in the heat is even more dangerous for these people.

“It makes their body respond differently. It increases their cravings and dependency,” Sanchez says. “When they do use, whether it be alcohol or drugs, it makes it worse because they can’t recognize some of the physiological changes in their bodies.”

Many of those facing addiction do not have access to health care, or are too afraid to seek help. This makes it nearly impossible for them to kick the habit.

In addition, many homeless people suffer from mental illnesses. Those who can afford health care may be on medications that make them unable to sweat normally. Drugs used to treat several mental illnesses have this effect.

Being unable to sweat makes it much harder to cool off. One of the people Sanchez interviewed described that challenge.

“You have people out here that are on medications and have mental and physical ailments that are, for all practical purposes, not even supposed to be in the heat, let alone direct sunlight. And that’s going to cause a lot of problems... and it does,” the man said.

Even those homeless people who are in generally good health must face the difficult task of finding shelter from the heat.

The health department encourages everyone to stay in an air-conditioned place to protect themselves from the heat, but that’s not so easy for someone with no home and very little money. Aside from the public library, there are few indoor places where homeless people are allowed.

“If you see the police, you leave, even if you’re not doing anything wrong. You know that they’re coming ‘cause you’re homeless and you’re not supposed to be where you’re at,” said another homeless man Sanchez spoke with.

Some people try to find shelter on public transportation. “They may get bus passes, or take a risk of getting on the bus or light rail without passes,” Sanchez says. Others look to homeless shelters, but these safe havens often have to close their doors during the hottest part of the day to clean and set up, Sanchez says.

Recognizing the need for relief, Maricopa County created a space for homeless people near the downtown Phoenix courthouse. This "Human Services Campus" includes a food bank, health care center and a grassy area with ramadas that provide shade. Sanchez says many homeless people know about the Campus and use its services, especially during the summer.

The County also leads a summer campaign called the Extreme Heat Relief Network, which Sanchez volunteers for.

“Through donations, they amass pallets upon pallets of bottled water,” Sanchez says. Volunteers and workers from non-profit agencies, churches and shelters set up “hydration stations” around the metropolitan area to distribute water to anyone in need. Some of the stations also provide shade so people can escape the direct sunlight.

Although the government and other agencies are working to keep homeless people alive throughout the summer, Sanchez says it’s important to get them off the streets long-term.

“They’re taking a structural problem of homelessness – a lack of affordable housing, a lack of availability to treatment for chemical dependence – and they’re essentially putting a Band-Aid on it. That’s going to help people, but it’s not really going to attack the root of the problem,” Sanchez says.

Sanchez recently presented his research at a meeting for the Coalition of Heat Relief Services, an initiative led by Valley of the Sun United Way. Here, he was able to share his insight with public health and government officials. Everyone agreed that affordable housing and health care are two of the biggest concerns for the homeless population. However, Sanchez learned through his research that the problem is complex.

“Most people told me that you can't simply house the homeless. The chronically homeless have gotten used to the streets and aren't always able to function within the norms of society,” Sanchez says.

The solution, he says, is to provide transitional housing – a supervised living community for homeless people to stay in until they are able to move on to more independent living. Providing water and shelter may combat the immediate threat of death from the heat, Sanchez says, but it is also possible to make a more lasting difference.

To learn more about extreme heat and find out how you can help, visit: http://www.maricopa.gov/publichealth/Programs/Heat/default.aspx