German cities arm homeless with sunscreen and water bottles as heatwave hits
As a heatwave grips western Germany, charities in Trier and Mainz are distributing water, sunscreen and operating a mobile cooling bus for people sleeping rough.
A life without a cool retreat
Homeless people suffer acutely during heatwaves because they cannot retreat to a cool apartment. Many also lack the money to buy water and sun protection, the Catholic Women’s Social Service (SkF) in Trier reports. On top of that, most homeless individuals have pre-existing conditions and no access to information about heat and sun protection.
Trier hands out sunscreen and reusable bottles
The SkF is now distributing sunscreen lotion and reusable drinking-water bottles to homeless and roofless women. They can be picked up at the Café Haltepunkt during opening hours. The small sunscreen bottles are easy to carry during the day and are ideal for time spent in public spaces, the service says. The water bottles can be refilled quickly and conveniently at the public drinking-water dispensers whose addresses are printed on the back. The café welcomes around 800 women visitors each year.
The small sunscreen bottles can be carried easily during the day and are thus ideal for staying in public spaces.
Mainz rolls out the ‘Heat Bus’
In Mainz the German Red Cross (DRK) will send its ‘Hitzebus’ (Heat Bus) out onto the streets again next week or the week after. “We try to supply people with the bare essentials,” said Uwe Link, chairman of the DRK local association Mainz-Hechtsheim. The volunteer team dispenses cold drinks, fruit, sunscreen, insect repellent, hygiene articles, caps and light-coloured T-shirts that do not heat up so quickly. “We know our spots in the city where you always find people who need things,” Link added.
We try to supply people with the bare essentials.
Sealed surfaces and scarce shade
The city centre offers few cooled or shady retreats for homeless people, Link noted, because of the many sealed surfaces. The Heat Bus operates on hot days and is financed partly through donations. Both the SkF’s distribution in Trier and the DRK’s mobile aid in Mainz are volunteer-driven responses to a need that grows with every heatwave.
