Is the rising number of Arizona heat deaths related to homelessness?

Last year, as Phoenix endured one of its hottest summers on record, nearly half of those who died from the Arizona heat were unhoused. People experiencing homelessness have accounted for a growing share of the state’s total heat deaths over the past decade, as temperatures have steadily risen. In Maricopa County, heat-related deaths grew from 76 in 2013 to 645 in 2023.

People experiencing homelessness are particularly vulnerable to extreme heat. A lack of access to air conditioning can be fatal during a heat wave. Public messaging, like heat alerts, often fail to reach people experiencing homelessness, who may not have access to a phone or cell service.

Unhoused populations also died from substance-related heat deaths more often than housed people because exposure to the heat can make drug use particularly dangerous. Extreme temperatures could exacerbate deadly side effects of methamphetamines and fentanyl like dehydration or hyperthermia.