This is the 1st in a series of articles by Knight Center students who attended the 2026 annual convention of the Society of Environmental Journalists. 

By Lillian Williams

Journalists gathered with street outreach workers during the Society of Environmental Journalism Conference in Chicago to discuss the increasingly severe effects of climate change on the homeless and how reporters can approach the topic with humanity and respect. 

Street outreach workers generally focus on connecting homeless people with shelter, employment and other support that might help them, according to the National Alliance to End Homelessness.  

The panel was moderated by freelance journalist Erin Rhode, who advised listeners to be aware that interviews could take away from people’s ability to meet their basic needs.  

“In some cities that I’ve worked in in Southern California, you have to be lined up by 3 p.m. if you want a shelter bed that night,” Rhode said.  

Ali Simmons is a street outreach worker with the Chicago Coalition to End Homelessness. He started the discussion by detailing his firsthand experience working with homeless people during extreme weather events.  

“It was during a polar vortex. A person who was living on the street had real severe health issues and was trying to get out of that world,” Simmons said in reference to living on the street. “Each and every place where he went, because of this mental health condition, everyone kicked him out and he had nowhere to go but the cold.” 

Simmons advised that reporters can effectively report on homelessness by writing about why someone is living in the streets and remains in the streets.  

“In Chicago, Black people make up approximately 30% of the population,” Simmons said. “Yet, we make up over 50% of the homeless population and no one asks why.” 

Simmons also said that although reporters may be trying to help, they need to be aware that interviews take away from a person’s time. 

“This might be a time when somebody would go panhandle or something like that,” Simmons said.  

Ryan Spangler, a street outreach worker for Heartland Alliance in Chicago, said climate change has led to more frequent destruction of encampments.  

Encampments are generally regarded as temporary outdoor living areas.  

People set up tents or makeshift shelters near each other to gain community or safety while living outdoors.  

“What we’re seeing with climate change is that the temperatures are going up and down, up and down. It’ll pour rain one day, or the wind will be severe and tents are getting damaged or will collapse,” Spangler said.  

“The city will think that no one’s there, or that tent is abandoned and then the tent will get tossed out,” he said. 

Spangler advised that when covering homelessness, reporters should ensure they highlight real stories of real homeless people, rather than highlighting what other people think about them.  

Spangler also said a good way to avoid re-traumatizing homeless sources is to help them feel in control of the situation.
“It’s about always asking for consent, making sure they’re comfortable and making sure they’re informed about the story and why you’re doing the story,” Spangler said.  

He also advised that reporters should approach people from a place of genuine care and concern, which could look like bringing gift cards or food to build trust. 

Greg Kim is a Seattle Times reporter who has spent the last few years covering homelessness. He said his newspaper is covering deaths caused by extreme weather increasingly often.  

“Last year, there was a mother and son who were staying in a tent together,” Kim said. “They heard about a windstorm coming into Seattle and decided that the area that they were in was too dangerous, so they moved.  

“But still, that windstorm with 50 mph winds knocked over a tree and killed the mom who was in that tent.” 

Kim said numbers make reporting on homelessness more effective. He suggested including the number of shelters in a region or average rent prices.  

“If you throw it in and remind people that homelessness is connected to housing costs, that can be helpful,” Kim said.  

Kim also emphasized the importance of humanizing homeless people while reporting.  

“In that heat event, capture the moment where they are sweating in their tent,” Kim said. “You can depict them as a human experiencing the real world.” 

Kim added that reporters should be aware of how they look when approaching encampments or people living on the street. 

“For people living on the street, people who look square approaching them are usually causing problems for them,” Kim said, “whether they’re the police or government officials asking them to move.”