This brief summarizes results of interviews and focus groups with participants in human services programs about how they view extreme weather and other environmental hazards and their effects on families and communities. Participants discussed acute hazards such as flooding, as well as more chronic problems such as widespread trash, heat, poor air and water quality, and lead. This study is intended to inform human services programs and staff in responding to the needs of program participants as they and their families grapple with these risks. Human services seek to support low-income families and individuals by fostering their economic security and mobility, family stability, and health and wellbeing. The effects of extreme weather and other hazards can make advancing these goals substantially more difficult for both programs and the participants they serve. Key findings are:
- Human services participants were well aware of the effects of extreme weather and environmental risks, and their unequal vulnerability to them. They were particularly concerned about effects on children.
- Program participants generally had little knowledge of resources from human services programs, partner agencies, or other organizations that might help them address the hazards they face. They perceived high barriers to accessing what was available. Some reported giving up before gaining access.
- In general, participants did not distinguish services under the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) from those provided by other governmental or non-governmental programs. They commonly discussed services (e.g., affordable housing, food assistance, and local trash pickup) as though they were provided by a single entity.
- Participants made recommendations for human services programs such as increasing in-person assistance and centralizing resources in a variety of formats to allow them to learn more and to access assistance more readily.
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