Cindy Quenneville & Amy Schwabenlender — Surviving the Heat: Homelessness, Extreme Weather, and Community Response in the Desert Southwest

Welcome to Unsheltered Conversations, the podcast from HomeAid America where we explore the human stories, partnerships, and solutions shaping the conversation around homelessness. This podcast is hosted by Scott Larson, CEO of HomeAid America.As summer approaches, many Americans look forward to longer days, vacations, and warmer weather. But in cities like Phoenix and Las Vegas, extreme heat can quickly become deadly especially for people experiencing homelessness.For individuals living unsheltered, temperatures well above 100 degrees are not just uncomfortable; they create serious medical emergencies involving dehydration, heat exhaustion, heat stroke, and even death.Today’s conversation is about preparedness, compassion, partnership, and action.Joining me are two leaders deeply engaged in this work:Cindy Quenneville, Executive Director of HomeAid Phoenix, and Amy Schwabenlender, CEO of Keys to Change, one of Arizona’s leading organizations serving individuals experiencing homelessness and operating key intake and coordinated response efforts throughout the region.Together, we’ll discuss what extreme heat means on the front lines of homelessness, how communities prepare and respond, and what all of us including the building industry can do to help save lives.Learn more about ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠HomeAid⁠⁠⁠.