Maryland summers are hot and getting hotter. But you’ll experience the heat differently depending on whether you have housing and where you live.

Factors like discriminatory housing, less tree cover, and a lack of central air mean that temperatures in West and East Baltimore are up to 15 degrees hotter on average than in wealthier parts of the city. People experiencing homelessness are especially at risk of dehydration, heat exhaustion, and worsening existing health problems.

We’ve gathered a few tips for staying safe during the summer months, and ways to help your neighbors do the same.

• Keep water, electrolyte drinks, and snacks on hand to offer to neighbors with no shelter from the heat.
• Know the signs of heat stroke: confusion, hot and flushed skin, and no longer sweating while feeling hot.
• Call 311 for cooling center locations during a Code Red, or extreme heat alert.
• If you have A/C and know of friends or neighbors that don’t, consider inviting them inside for a cool-down chat.
• Baltimore City’s public pools can offer relief from the heat. Click here for a list of hours and locations.
• Generosity Showers offers free, safe showers from 9 AM-1 PM, Mon-Fri and the 2nd Saturday of every month outside our clinic at 421 Fallsway.

Beyond meeting immediate safety needs in extreme heat, explore the broader, structural issues that have led to environmental injustice in Baltimore in our Community of Practice on Homelessness conversation about race and the built environment.