this post was submitted on 12 Dec 2024
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Anyone have resources/suggestions on how to best keep folks warm at a homeless encampment in the winter? (hexbear.net)
submitted 1 week ago by Person@hexbear.net to c/askchapo@hexbear.net
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I am working with a mutual aid org which has some resources at its disposal (money & labor) to help the folks who live there.

Of course, the people living there know best what they need, and with their current setups they mostly need wood for their stoves, or fuel for their generators, which are running electric heaters. But not all of them have stoves or generators.

I think the next most obvious option is warm clothing and blankets, which it seems like they have in good supply thankfully.

My org has done some building projects in the past and is considering doing more, possibly with a rocket stove type design, though I'm wondering if that's worth the effort, and our money/time would be better spent providing the residents with more food/clothing/fuel.

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[–] Person@hexbear.net 1 points 1 week ago (3 children)

is it a tent situation primarily or are there other structures that can more readily be insulated?

A mix of both, but probably mostly tents. I think the generator provides electricity to multiple tents so that's the main advantage, plus it being the only option really for folks who don't have wood stoves at the moment.

[–] Aceivan@hexbear.net 1 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago) (2 children)

yeah... tents are kinda troublesome, they're not very resistant to heat, embers, etc so I have a hard time recommending wood stoves if the structure theyre being used in is camping tents.

but I do suspect that providing wood would be much more cost effective in the long run than gasoline.

building wood stoves to the extent that people have structures that can safely accomodate them might be worthwhile but whiz bang stuff like rocket stoves are not it for an encampment in my opinion, too much complexity for something that might just get tossed by pigs next week, all to save a little bit of wood which can often be gotten for free

the yurt zine is cool, but a big project depending on the size of y9ur org. I could probably find the group that made it, they are doing similar work it sounds like to you. And their stove design is dirt cheap (half a barrel and 5 pieces of stovepipe)

[–] SixthSunOfASixthSun@lemmy.ml 1 points 1 week ago (1 children)

If they're typical silnylon camping tents wood stoves are a huge risk.

You can safely use wood stoves for canvas tents as long as you get a good stovejack, they make great silicone ones now. The problem is that canvas camping tents are typically cost prohibitive for most homeless people.

[–] Aceivan@hexbear.net 1 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago)

yeah I guess I should have been more explicit about that. its no good, very unsafe. But other types of structures can accomodate wood stoves with some effort