With summer on its way in Australia the City of Sydney has responded with a pop up cooling hub in inner-city Belmore Park. The hub popped up in late October as Sydney felt the first rays of what is likely to be a hot summer, and offering cooling fans, water mists and drinking water for immediate heat relief.
The day the hub appeared Sydney experienced temperatures of more than 37 degrees.
It offers people the opportunity to rest, escape the heat and access free healthcare. Pets are also welcome.
Powered by renewable energy, the cooling hubs are the first of their kind in Australia, and are operated by the team from St Vincents homelessness health with financial support from the City of Sydney and the University of Sydney.
This summer in Sydney is forecast to be warmer than the average, and the Bureau of Meteorology is forecasting a higher probability of extreme heat events.
“Because we are seeing increased chances of it being unusually warm for both overnight and daytime temperatures, that there’s an increased chance of extreme heat,” BOM senior climatologist Felicity Gamble said.
St Vincent’s Homeless Health team have been responding to extreme heat for several years, delivering hats, water and sunscreen for people sleeping rough and at risk of homelessness.
People experiencing social disadvantage may be sleeping in a car, in a tent or on the street and are far more exposed to extreme heat and at a much higher risk of experiencing heat related health events, such as heat exhaustion and heatstroke, both potentially fatal conditions.
More than 120,000 people are homeless on any given day in Australia, and they can be exposed to extreme heat which threatens their health.
The St Vincent’s Homeless Health Cooling Hub was launched in January 2024, following several years of research and advocacy with the University of Sydney and the Queensland University of Technology.
The University of Sydney developed a HeatWatch app as a preparedness tool, and this led to an initial pilot project in the Sydney suburb of Surry Hills which was able to accommodate up to 54 people at any one time.
Back in 2020 it was estimated that the cost of treating heat illness in two homeless people in Sydney was more than $70,000.
