We know from our work that hostile infrastructure and rising energy bills are making people sick in the heat. We also know that communities have the knowledge, creativity and collective power to come up with solutions that work for them.
Mutual aid is a practice that uses collective care and our own skills and knowledge to meet immediate needs and build stronger relationships in our communities. Sweltering Cities will be rolling out community-led mutual aid projects in Western Sydney over the coming summer. Keep reading for our understanding of mutual aid, how it relates to heat justice, and how you can get involved.
What is mutual aid?
Mutual aid is a system where people in a community work together to offer all kinds of support. Unlike normal charities, where services and support is provided in a one-way relationship, mutual aid is about building relationships of trust, solidarity, and care in a community to meet the immediate, shared needs of people.
Mutual aid is solidarity, not charity.
Mutual aid has existed all throughout history and across various social movements. From free breakfast programs and health clinics during the Civil Rights movement, to First Nations-led disaster response, mutual aid initiatives use community capacity and care to meet immediate, life-saving needs while building momentum for systemic change.
Mutual aid has been practiced extensively in the wake of climate disasters, where community-led responses consistently outpace official relief efforts. Following the 2022 Lismore floods, for example, the Koori Mail transformed its offices into an Indigenous-led recovery hub, providing food, shelter, and medical coordination when state emergency services fell short.
Occupy Sandy mobilised thousands of volunteers to deliver door-to-door relief after Hurricane Sandy in New York, while the ‘Mud Army’ came together in the aftermath of the 2011 Brisbane floods to dig out mud-soaked homes and streets and help save family photos.
During the COVID pandemic, mutual aid networks in Western Sydney helped to check in on others to see what services and resources they may need, including distributing free masks. Formed during COVID, First Nations Response is a grassroots Aboriginal women-led organisation that offers food relief services to Inner West and Inner City mob.
These examples demonstrate the power of communities stepping in for one another. They prove that when disaster strikes, true resilience comes from strong local networks of solidarity, especially when government responses fail or are too slow.
Mutual aid & heat justice
Mutual aid is one of the most powerful ways we can build heat-resilient communities from the ground up. Extreme heat is often called a ‘silent killer’ because so much of its impact happens behind closed doors. Whether it’s someone struggling to afford their electricity bill, an older neighbour spending the day alone in a sweltering room, or a renter living in a home with no way to cool it down, we can replace this isolation with collective care.
Because we live in these suburbs, we know our neighborhoods best. We understand where the heat hits hardest and what solutions people actually need. We know which streets are hottest, which bus stops have no shade and which neighbours are struggling to keep cool. This local knowledge can also help us tackle the bigger issues that make extreme heat harder to live with.
Heat justice intersects directly with broader cost-of-living crises, such as poor housing, inadequate public transport, and skyrocketing energy bills. Mutual aid gives us immediate, practical levers to act on these intersecting issues right now. This can include:
- Crowdfunding energy relief so people aren’t forced to choose between running the air conditioner and putting food on the table.
- Sharing cooling kits and DIY insulation materials
- Creating community shade and cool spaces in our streets and at bus stops.
- Checking in on people who may be more vulnerable to heat, particularly older people, people living alone and people experiencing homelessness.
Mutual aid exposes gaps left behind by government inaction. No one should be trapped in an unsafe, sweltering home or unable to afford basic cooling. While mutual aid provides immediate solutions, it does not let decision-makers off the hook.
Instead, it is a clear demonstration of community capacity and power. By showing that everyday people can lead the charge for heat-resilient suburbs, we build the collective power, stories, and momentum needed to demand systemic policy changes and dedicated funding from all levels of government.
Join us to co-design a mutual aid project in Western Sydney
This summer, Sweltering Cities will be launching a series of community-led mutual aid projects across Western Sydney. They will be designed and rolled out by local residents who know their neighbourhoods best.
To kick off this work, we are hosting a 1-Day Community Workshop to brainstorm, design, and launch 2–3 practical solidarity projects ahead of the summer heat.
Western Sydney Heat Mutual Aid Workshop (Lunch provided)
When: Sunday 4th October 10:00 AM – 3:00 PM
Where: Parramatta, Western Sydney (ACE – Arts Cultural Exchange)
