No shelter from the storm: the unequal burden of a climate crisis within a housing crisis

Mieke Waters — The Salvation Army Policy and Advocacy Advisor

“No person, country or region will avoid the unpredictable and increasingly frequent extreme events that climate change will bring.”

Climate change is a defining challenge of our time. 

Amidst a cost-of-living and an escalating housing crisis — where the price of keeping a roof over one’s head is rising and housing supply across the spectrum remains critically low — the additional burden of climate disasters on those most marginalised is unmistakable. 

As Australia grapples with the escalating frequency and severity of extreme and unprecedented weather events, what becomes increasingly evident is this — disasters may be widespread, but they do not impact everyone equally. 

Homelessness Week 2025 is a timely reminder to reflect on what happens when we fail to support those most at risk and to confront the urgent need for systemic change. 

As climate change accelerates, so too do the risks for those without secure housing. 

Homelessness can take many forms, and a changing climate inevitably deepens its impacts. Disasters, such as increasingly severe storms, flooding, and heatwaves, directly and materially impact the living conditions, safety and context surrounding one’s life. This can include: 

• Acute impacts — direct health implications experienced from changing weather conditions (for example, extreme heat or cold) or disasters, loss of material possessions or being trapped in unsafe areas with nowhere to go
• Chronic impacts — disrupted support systems, decreased access to essential services or increased risk of becoming socially isolated

For those without shelter, these impacts are magnified. 

Climate change is not solely an environmental issue, it’s a human emergency. 

The Salvation Army’s Social Justice Stocktake has seen climate change become an increasingly urgent social justice concern within Australian communities. A Climate Council study found that an extraordinary 84 per cent of people in Australia have personally been affected by a climate event or extreme weather since 2019.

The devastation caused by ex-Tropical Cyclone Alfred in Queensland is a recent example of the increased vulnerability experienced by those without a safe place to call home. Despite government efforts to provide additional resources to ensure those without a home were able to access shelter and support, frontline services were overwhelmed.

With limited essential personnel onsite and a surge in demand driven by not just those seeking support for the first time, but also those already in crisis — pressure fell on frontline community support services to mobilise outreach teams, deliver critical communication to those who might otherwise fall through the cracks, and to continue to provide care to those in need — all while also ensuring their own safety and that of their teams. 

What happens when the systems meant to provide safety and care are already stretched to capacity? Refuges are full. Hotlines inundated. And the result? Diminished ability to provide ongoing quality and timely care. 

When community members in distress are met with delays and detours, their trauma doesn’t pause, it deepens. This compounding trauma of an overburdened system is not just a side effect — it’s a crisis in its own right.

Climate change is on our doorstep. This event is not an anomaly. We cannot afford to continue with business as usual. We must adapt.

We need to stop treating homelessness and climate change as separate crises. They are deeply interconnected. Not only do climate change weather events and disasters put those already experiencing vulnerability at significantly greater risk, they are also reshaping the face of homelessness. People unable to repair, rebuild or re-locate are being displaced. Increasing insurance premiums, and uninsurable or uninhabitable homes are pushing people into housing insecurity. 

Short-term fixes might ease the pressure today, but only sustained investment in long-term solutions will prepare us for tomorrow. 

Governments are critical in protecting the rights and wellbeing of community members affected by climate change. Treating housing as a commodity — a vehicle for wealth — fails to recognise it for what it truly is, a basic human need and a fundamental human right. 

Housing is more than just shelter — it is the foundation for health, education, employment and belonging. In the face of rising seas, scorching heatwaves and what feels like relentless disasters, housing is also about survival. 

Prioritising housing security and supporting community members experiencing homelessness must extend beyond the provision of immediate relief and disaster responses. A significant gap exists between the growing demand and the supply of safe, secure housing. Governments must prioritise climate-resilient, affordable and accessible housing solutions across the entire housing continuum, not just as a matter of infrastructure, but as a matter of justice. Without a safe place to call home, there is no justice. 

This also means that now is the time for bold and coordinated climate action. We need stronger climate commitments, fast, fair, and inclusive solutions, and investment in long term solutions that protect people, not just property. 

Safety shouldn’t be a luxury. 

As climate change continues to reshape the world as we know it, we must ask: Who gets to be safe? Who gets to recover? And who gets left behind? 

Let’s build a future where safety, dignity, and resilience are not privileges, but guaranteed for all.