Colliding Crises

The Union of Concerned Scientists analyzed nearly eight million affordable homes and found that 79.1% were located in counties experiencing at least one week's worth of heat alerts in 2024. The report highlights that people of color, older adults, and individuals with disabilities are disproportionately affected due to substandard housing, the urban heat island effect, and energy insecurity. Key recommendations include increasing funding for the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP), implementing cooling inspection standards for subsidized homes, and updating building codes to improve heat resilience.

• In 2024, extreme heat exposure was widespread across affordable housing in the US, with 6,226,965 homes (79.1% of the analyzed total) located in counties with one or more weeks' worth of heat alerts, and 3,588,964 homes (45.6%) in counties with three or more weeks' worth of alerts.
• Households headed by people of color face disproportionate heat risks; specifically, they headed 66% of households in public and project-based housing developments exposed to three or more weeks' worth of heat alerts.
• The Northeast and Southeast regions have the highest shares of affordable housing exposed to one or more weeks of heat alerts, accounting for 27.3% and 26.1% respectively.
• Texas, California, and New York are the states with the highest total numbers of affordable homes exposed to one or more weeks' worth of heat alerts.
• Affordable housing residents are particularly vulnerable due to the 'urban heat island effect'—where paved areas absorb and radiate heat—and a lack of central air conditioning, which the federal government does not require in public housing.
• Energy insecurity is a significant barrier, with approximately one in four households unable to afford utility bills or forced to maintain unsafe home temperatures; currently, only 20% of LIHEAP funds are spent on cooling.

APA

Union of Concerned Scientists (2025). Colliding Crises. https://www.ucs.org/sites/default/files/2025-10/Colliding%20Crises_report_10.20.25.pdf

Chicago

Union of Concerned Scientists. Colliding Crises. 2025. https://www.ucs.org/sites/default/files/2025-10/Colliding%20Crises_report_10.20.25.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Union of Concerned Scientists |title=Colliding Crises |date=October 2025 |url=https://www.ucs.org/sites/default/files/2025-10/Colliding%20Crises_report_10.20.25.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{unionofconcernedscientists2025colliding, author = {{Union of Concerned Scientists}}, title = {{Colliding Crises}}, institution = {Union of Concerned Scientists}, year = {2025}, month = oct, url = {https://www.ucs.org/sites/default/files/2025-10/Colliding%20Crises_report_10.20.25.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }