PHOENIX – Lower-income families with young children in metro Phoenix can apply now for free pool fences.
The Pool Fence Safety Program is accepting applications in English or Spanish at the Child Crisis Arizona website through April 5.
Child Crisis Arizona is partnering with Salt River Project, State Farm, the Independent Pool & Spa Service Association and local firefighter charities on the program, which is in its fifth year.
The free pool fence offer is available to owner-occupied households in Maricopa County. Renters are not eligible.
What are the requirements for the free pool fence program?
Households must meet income requirements and have a child under age 6 living in the home.
To meet the income requirement, a household has to fall within the moderate to low range as determined by Area Median Income guidelines.
The requirement is met for families enrolled in one of the following assistance programs: food stamps, Medicaid, WIC, energy assistance or unemployment.
Families who aren’t in any of those programs can submit 2024 tax returns for income verification. The threshold varies depending on household size. For example, a family of four would qualify with an annual income under $106,000.
“This Pool Fence Safety Program, which last year, between its spring and fall application windows, awarded two dozen families a new pool fence, is focused on making an actionable difference in preventing child drownings in our community,” Caitlin Sageng, Child Crisis Arizona’s senior program director, said in a press release.
In 2024, 79 adult and child drownings were reported in Maricopa and Pinal counties, according to Children’s Safety Zone.
KTAR News and Fulton Homes want to remind you that two seconds is too long to take your eyes off kids near water. To learn more about this campaign, visit the 2 Seconds is Too Long website.
We want to hear from you.
Have a story idea or tip? Pass it along to the KTAR News team here.
