PHOENIX (AZFamily)<\/b> \u2014 More than 600 people died from the heat last summer in Maricopa County, and the Valley is on track to surpass that number this summer. <\/p>\n
Now, federal funding cuts are forcing one nonprofit to shut down a program that\u2019s kept thousands of residents safe and cool inside their own homes for over 50 years\u2019 worth of hot Phoenix summers.<\/p>\n
Inside Beverly Peters\u2019 home in Sun City West, there was a constant battle against the heat. But this year, her home got a lifeline. \u201cThey redid all of the attic insulation. They took out everything that I had for the evaporated cooler,\u201d she explained.<\/p>\n
Free repairs from AllThrive365\u2019s weatherization program. \u201cThe house is cooler, it stays cooler longer, and I\u2019ve already gotten a decrease in my electric bill, and it\u2019s not even been a month,\u201d she expressed.<\/p>\n
At 79, Beverly has weathered more than just Arizona summers. She\u2019s living with asthma, COPD, and two types of cancer. \u201cOh my god, I could never ever, ever afford to do this, but it has reduced my electric bill.\u201d <\/p>\n
However, recent federal funding cuts have forced the nonprofit to shut down the program. \u201cWe are not taking any applications just due to funding cuts, but we\u2019re hoping to change that and get some funding in and open up services. We have a wait list of over 500 people right now for this program,\u201d said Katie Martin with AllThrive365.<\/p>\n
She estimates nearly 20,000 low-income and senior Valley residents will now be left without help. \u201cWe can help people save on their energy bills. There are proven stats that show that we have health impacts to the work that we do as well,\u201d Martin stated.<\/p>\n
For many, this program meant survival in a state where triple-digit days and near-triple-digit nights are becoming the norm. <\/p>\n
\u201cWe are so happy that we were able to serve Beverly with the weatherization program, but she might be the last person that we serve using my heat funds if they are not renewed,\u201d Martin explained.<\/p>\n
And with summer still far from over, Beverly knows she\u2019s one of the lucky ones. \u201cThat\u2019s scary. That\u2019s sad. These are our families. We need to help us. We need to help them,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
AllThrive365 states that it\u2019s seeking new funding sources to revive the program, but there\u2019s no timeline for when this could occur.<\/p>\n
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