MILWAUKEE — When many people across Milwaukee were looking for a cool place to spend the day, Freda Wright was out walking through the Harambee neighborhood.
Wright is the Eras Senior Network Program Manager for the Harambee neighborhood.
"We need to be here for each other," she said of her work and outreach.
Last year, she was awarded a grant from Bader Philanthropies to install 100 air conditioners for seniors over 60 in the Harambee neighborhood free of charge. Last summer, she and her team put air conditioners in 50 homes. This summer they've already done more than half of the remaining 50.
"Our main goal is to get these air conditioners out to these seniors, especially before weeks like this where it's extremely hot," Wright said.
According to the Wisconsin Initiative on Climate Change Impacts, the last two decades were the warmest on record in the Badger State. As summers get hotter, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) says the impact of climate change will not be felt equally.
"It is something that is needed everywhere, but we have seen a great need in the Harambee community," Wright said of the air conditioner program. "In this community, I've noticed that it's a dire need for air because most of them their air conditioners are like 20-plus old."
The EPA predicts the African American community across the country will face the greatest impacts with 40 percent already living in areas with the highest projected increase in extreme temperature-related deaths. Older adults are also more at risk when it comes to a warming climate.
The Harambee neighborhood is majority African American and is in the top 20% of the most heat-vulnerable communities in Milwaukee, making Wright's work all the more important.
She wants to see the program expand in the Harambee neighborhood and to other neighborhoods across the city.
If you're over 60 and live in the Harambee neighborhood you can reach out to Eras Senior Network who can connect you with Wright to get an application. That number is 414-488-6500.
Wright said those who don't have air conditioners or units that don't work well should make sure to stay hydrated during heat waves. She also suggests making a trip to the grocery store or a cooling center to take advantage of the air conditioning there.
You can also head to one of the splash pads or pools in Milwaukee County. You can check which ones are open at the Milwaukee County Parks website. Just under half are closed this year due to ongoing lifeguard shortages, however, more are open than have been since the pandemic began.
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