Cold Weather Response: Supporting People Experiencing Homelessness in Michigan
November 19th
1:00 PM to 2:30 PM
FREE
Eric Hufnagel, Khadje Erickson and Lisa RXXXXX
Michigan winters create serious and sometimes life-threatening challenges for people experiencing homelessness, making effective cold-weather response an essential skill for frontline providers. This webinar will provide practical strategies for supporting individuals living outdoors, in vehicles, or other places not meant for habitation during extreme winter conditions.
- Participants will explore street outreach best practices, including engagement, relationship building, cold-weather supplies, transportation, shelter connections, and strategies for working with individuals who may be reluctant to accept services.
- The training will identify physical health warning signs associated with cold exposure, including hypothermia, frostbite, dehydration, and other conditions that may require immediate medical attention.
- Participants will also learn to recognize mental and behavioral health red flags that can increase vulnerability or affect a person’s ability to make decisions about their safety.
- The session will examine how trauma, mental health conditions, substance use, isolation, and prolonged exposure can complicate cold-weather outreach and engagement. Special attention will be given to coordinating across outreach teams, shelters, healthcare providers, first responders, and other community partners when temperatures become dangerous.
Participants will leave with practical tools for assessing risk, responding appropriately, and providing person-centered support that prioritizes both immediate safety and longer-term connections to housing.
Facilitator