With the climate in flux, the long-held notion that being homeless in the West is easier than on the East Coast no longer holds true, particularly in the Desert Southwest. That is why a team of researchers from Arizona State University, the City of Phoenix, and 3M is testing cool film coatings that could help during extreme heat.

As the video produced by the City of Phoenix below explains, a small patch of the coating, donated by 3M, was placed on the Phoenix Safe Outdoor Space roof in August and will be monitored and tested over the next year.

Phoenix's Safe Outdoor Space offers a safe camping alternative for people experiencing homelessness who are either not inclined or ready for indoor shelters. Some who use it say it can get unbearably hot when temperatures are high.

"When it's hot, it doesn't matter where you're at under the awning. It doesn't help," Terry Hamilton told Phoenix’s ABC15-TV, which first reported the story. "[It's] just hot and miserable."

The idea is that if the cool roof coating is applied to the entire structure, it could decrease the temperature underneath by at least a few degrees. ASU’s Eli Martin is one of the field technicians working on the research.

"We've all seen it, you know, the impact that extreme heat has on marginalized communities," Martin said. "So, being able to make sure that we're protecting everybody from the heat in an equitable manner is really, really important as we get hotter and hotter."

In previous projects involving the coating film, Martin said researchers observed a 3-degree Celsius decrease in mean radiant temperature underneath the structure, or about 5.4 degrees Fahrenheit. 

Radiant temperature refers to the temperature a person ‘perceives’ in their environment. It is influenced by various factors, including wind, sunlight, humidity (not so much in Phoenix) and others. However, Hamilton said any decrease in temperature would be helpful.

"That would be awesome," she said. "There's no relief under the awning. If it's hot, you're miserable."