Since the early 80’s when the EPA began tracking the statistics, at least 9000 people have died from heat exposure in the US. Those numbers jump higher when you factor in heat-related issues. And with Richmond just over the boarder into the southern part of the US, we’re no strange to heat extremes.
Since the early 80’s when the EPA began tracking the statistics, at least 9000 people have died from heat exposure in the US. Those numbers jump higher when you factor in heat-related issues. And with Richmond just over the boarder into the southern part of the US, we’re no strange to heat extremes.
But one group is hoping to address this issue for a number of our city’s most in need resident. For about 20 years, project:Homes has been providing heating and other services that help keep lower income seniors living in their homes despite.
After several requests from clients for help with air conditioning in the summer, the group sat down to assess the needs of their clients and the community and developed a new initiative to offer window AC units where they could.
“The people we’re trying to serve here, and people who don’t have their own AC should be able to identify with this – they just don’t have that $200 to buy a unit,” said Matt Morgan, project:Homes’ Neighborhood Revitalization Production Coordinator. He spoke of the first unit they installed last week (image below) where an elderly woman had adopted a young child and they had little they could do to fight the heat.
“It’s people with kids or people who are elderly and have ailments,” he said. “This little thing makes a huge impact on their lives.”
As with all projects, the funding for these units doesn’t just come from nowhere. There are a few federal AC programs for those on the lowest end of the income level, but Morgan said their research showed a gap between people who could be served by federal programs and those who could afford their own units.
“It’s such a simple fix to, not necessarily solve their problem, but to give them some relief from the heat,” he said.
People get into the AC unit initiative by contacting project:Homes and, if they make less than 80% of the area median income, they’ll get in line for a unit.
“It’s about bridging that gap,” said Jessica Wells, Project Home’s Marketing and Compliance Coordinator. “We saw a need and decided to serve it.”
They’ve already held one fundraising event with help from the RVA story-telling group Secretly Ya’ll at Ardent Craft Ales. They raised a little less than a grand, and they’re hoping to raise another two grand before the season heats up too much.
The next event happens this Sunday at Max’s Positive Vibe Cafe just south of the river off Forest Hill Ave. Project:Homes CEO Lee Householder will be guest-bartending so Wells invited everyone to “come and order really complex and complicated drinks.” *jokes*
Their last event will happen at 3 Monkeys in the Fan on the evening of Thursday June 16th – both events are offering percentages of sales for the evening as well as a chance to snag a “I Keep RVA Cool” t-shirt for the low price of $10.
Head on over to Project:Homes website for more info.
