Extreme Cold Safety for Marginalized Populations

Monday, November 17, 2025

1:00 PM 

CEU: 1.5 $10 payment info will be provided at training

Overview

As winter temperatures drop, individuals experiencing homelessness or housing instability face heightened risks to their health and safety. This 1.5-hour webinar will explore strategies to prevent cold-related illness and injury among marginalized populations, with a focus on practical, low-barrier interventions. Participants will learn how to identify early warning signs of hypothermia and frostbite, connect clients to warming resources, and adapt outreach and shelter practices during extreme cold events. The session will also highlight coordination strategies across community partners, emergency services, and local agencies. Through real-world examples and discussion, attendees will gain tools to better protect vulnerable individuals during Michigan’s harsh winter months. By the end, participants will leave with actionable steps to enhance preparedness and promote safety in their programs and communities.

Facilitator

Renwick Ballew [They|Them]

Renwick Ballew [They|Them] is the Community Resilience Program Manager at Gryphon Place 211 in Kalamazoo, MI. As an aspect of that role, they chair the Kalamazoo and Calhoun County Response Consortiums. These Consortiums provide a central community connection point to mitigate local disasters through planning, and recover from local disasters through coordinated humanitarian aid. Renwick has an Masters in Public Administration with a Crisis Management Concentration from Adler University, and a BA in Anthropology/Sociology and Critical Ethnic Studies with a minor in Political Science from Kalamazoo College.