Jesse Lopez, a Latina trans woman, always saw unhoused transgender women around gas stations. They didn’t have a place to go to avoid extreme weather in Atlanta. The pain of seeing fellow trans people struggling through the day in all different weather conditions inspired her to create a new advocacy group, and the Trans Housing Coalition (THC) came to life. 

Atlanta, which is regarded as a major hot spot of queer life in the South, is also hot in other ways. The city’s scorching summers are part of what earned it its nickname, “Hotlanta,” which can make it especially difficult for people without shelter.

Over the summer the city scores a heat index over 90°F and some days hits triple digits. That heat can be especially difficult for unhoused members of marginalized communities in the city. One of the most vulnerable groups is the transgender community, and unhoused trans people are forced to live in public spaces around the city where they are especially susceptible to heat.

Those most at risk are also often those that are least able to escape the heat. Trans people are likely more vulnerable than other unhoused demographic because they don’t have as many shelter options as someone else who is unhoused. A study published in 2020 found that almost 30 percent of trans people in the U.S. were denied shelter because of their gender identity.

“Obviously those populations are definitely more affected by heat,” said Dr. Jairo Garcia, an Atlanta-based expert in climate change and urban heat, who developed the city’s climate action plan. “Nobody should be dying by exposure to heat.” 

Unhoused people, including people living with no or limited cooling access, are more prone to heat-related health issues. Extreme heat may increase the risk of heat stroke, respiratory disease, cardiovascular disease, according to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention.

The Interplay of heat and housing

Jesse initially just wanted to do something for the moment to struggling trans women. 

“She decided to start a GoFundMe where she wanted to get just some shelter for them for a little bit, a hotel,” Mary Wilson, executive director of THC said. “And it took off, and ended up getting $3 million and they started what we call the Trans Housing Coalition.”

THC works on providing temporary shelter and help in finding permanent housing for 18 years or older transgender individuals who are chronically homeless and  tries to provide relief during Atlanta’s summer heat.“We have clients who are actually still on the streets, or they’re at a shelter where they have to leave all day and then come back after,” Wilson said. “If that’s the case, they’re more than welcome to come to our office to get out of that heat, because it gets really hot in Atlanta.” 

Since 2021, THC said they have helped  around 300 trans people to find permanent housing. 

Because of all the administrative work and waiting for the housing unit to be available it typically takes three months to a year to get a permanent home for one of THC’s clients. In the meantime, trans people have a hard time even getting in shelters and they are forced to be out on the street in extreme heat conditions too. 

“They are more likely to not only be unhoused, but unsheltered as well,” Wilson said.

In Atlanta, homelessness has been a major issue for a long time. More than 2,800 people were registered as homeless, in a survey conducted by the Partners for Home in January and February. The report stated, “LGBTQ+ individuals remain disproportionately affected.” 

A representative from the Trans Housing Atlanta Program (THAP) said there is less access to housing assistance for trans and non-binary individuals. “We’ve definitely noticed that there’s a lot of discrimination still affecting, critically affecting the housing for individuals who identify as trans and non-binary,” said Dorrae Jackson, program supervisor at the THAP. They receive applications for housing support from more than 60 people but they are only able to help about five to six a month.

All these added dynamics of pushback make trans people living in heat-prone areas more likely to experience heat exhaustion related health complications. 

“Extreme heat can challenge human health in a lot of different ways, provided you don’t have an avenue to escape,” Zachary Schlader, associate professor at the Indiana University’s School of Public Health, who researches the implication of heat and humidity on human health, said in a previous interview. “So, for example, if you have access to air conditioning or a cool location, regardless whether it’s air conditioned or not, that urban heat island may not necessarily translate to bad stuff happening.”  The urban heat island effect is a condition when more heat is stored in urban buildings primarily because of cement structures and lack of green infrastructure, such as trees, grass and open areas.

But the City of Atlanta claims that it has a holistic approach to housing, which is “completely non-discriminatory”.  the mayor’s press secretary, Michael Smith said in a written statement. “We often say that Atlanta includes everyone, including the transgender community, and our actions continue to show that—through policies and initiatives that provide quality affordable housing, housing and wraparound services for our unsheltered residents,” Options to escape the heat in an emergency

Although sheltering and housing all unhoused trans people is not possible with available resources, experts say there are ways to at least minimize the harm in times of extreme heat.

Both THC and THAP said they try to provide information about available resources to unhoused trans people.

The city opened cooling centers in recent heat  waves in the city, and provides bottled water. But finding shade and cooling places nearby is an ongoing struggle for unhoused trans people.

“Churches, dorms, schools, stadiums, all of that should be allowed for people to just go there and cool off during those times of heat waves in order to save lives,” Gracia said. During extreme heat the CDC advises people to: 

• Stay in an air-conditioned indoor space as much as possible 
• Drink water and other hydrating fluids 
• Take cool showers or baths 
• Check the local news for health and safety updates