A/C bill relief may not be coming for state’s most vulnerable

No matter how hot the weather, Demetrice McDowell says he only runs his air conditioning about nine hours each day. Otherwise, his electric bill would be too high for him to buy enough groceries.

McDowell, who is disabled and uses a wheelchair, lives in Martel Homes, a public housing community in East Point. He says that when it’s 90 degrees outside, it’s often just as hot inside his apartment.

“The floors are concrete, so whatever it is outside, it is in here,” the 49-year-old said. “Sometimes it can be unbearable.”

In June, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development informed public housing agencies that they are now allowed to increase utility assistance to help some residents pay for air conditioning during periods of extreme heat. In theory, HUD’s new guidance could lessen the impact of punishing temperatures on nearly 1.6 million residents nationwide, and tens of thousands in Georgia.

But because HUD is not providing additional funds to cover the assistance, many agencies in Georgia say they are too cash-strapped to offer it.

The East Point Housing Authority, which manages Martel Homes, is one of them.

Michael Spann, executive director for the East Point and Fairburn housing authorities, said he is concerned about the effects of severe heat on residents, especially seniors, and he appreciates the “spirit of the notice” from HUD. But he said most of the two housing authorities’ operating funds already are allocated for other programs.

McDowell’s bill for electricity, water, garbage and sewer service in June was $147, even after running his air conditioning sparingly. He said a little help with his utility payment would mean more food in his refrigerator.

As it is, he said, a lot of people must decide: “Are you going to pay your bill or get something to eat?”

Michael Lucas, executive director of the Atlanta Volunteer Lawyers Foundation, notes that some residents who can’t afford to pay their bills can be evicted if their utilities are shut off. Having utilities cut off during a heat wave could be life-threatening for seniors and other residents who are medically fragile, he said.

“The stakes are even higher than would readily appear,” said Lucas, who also sits on the executive committee of HouseATL, a nonprofit that works to advance housing affordability in Atlanta.

He added that the cost of utilities, including electricity used to cool buildings, is “skyrocketing” above the amounts some housing authorities give residents to help them pay the bills while climate change is increasing the frequency of heat waves.

HUD’s new guidance allows public housing agencies to increase utility allowances for residents, or to waive surcharges for use of air conditioning during periods of severe heat and humidity, which it defines as temperatures above 90 degrees for at least two days. But residents have to ask for the assistance.

The offer only applies to residents in HUD’s Public Housing program, which provides financial aid to local agencies that manage housing for low-income residents. It is not offered to residents in the Housing Choice Voucher or the Project-Based Rental Assistance programs.

More than 52,000 Georgians live in public housing, where residents typically pay no more than 30% of their income for rent and utilities.

Richard Monocchio, principal deputy assistant secretary for HUD’S Office of Public and Indian Housing, said that making this relief available to public housing residents is a top priority.

“This is such a quality-of-life-issue,” Monocchio said in an interview. “You’re talking about how the extreme heat impacts young children, people with special needs, older people. It has such a deleterious health impact on these populations especially — but everybody really.”

Monocchio said he has visited dozens of housing authorities since last summer. During those trips, including to East Point and Decatur, he said he has heard many times that residents weren’t turning on their air conditioning for fear of high bills. The Decatur Housing Authority does not have public housing units, but it provides a utility allowance for air conditioning costs in its affordable units for low-income families.

It’s too early to tell how many housing authorities in Georgia will adopt a policy. As one example, the Housing Authority of Savannah, which has 918 public housing units, said it was still reviewing the guidance.

Beth Brown, executive director of the housing authorities of Commerce, Norcross and Gainesville, said she will present the option at each of the next board meetings. She believes that housing authorities that adopt the policy will eventually receive increased funding, though that would be subject to Congressional appropriations.

Making the change would involve conducting a new utility allowance study, Brown said.

She added: “We haven’t had any complaints from anybody about crazy-high bills.”

Officials with the housing authorities of Augusta, Buford, Union City, Palmetto, Senoia and Newnan said they are not planning to implement the policy. Each already provides some form of utility assistance.

“Waiving utility charges would add additional stress to an already-stressed budget,” said Douglas Freeman, deputy executive director of the Augusta housing authority, which has 1,660 families in public housing.

Kevin Jones, executive director of the Buford Housing Authority, said: “We wouldn’t have the available resources to implement something like this.”

Monocchio also said he plans to send a follow-up communication strongly urging agencies to follow the guidance.

In the city of Atlanta, public housing residents pay a rent amount that includes all utilities. Therefore, the new guidance does not directly apply to those residents, said Alan Ferguson, chief housing and real estate officer for Atlanta Housing.

Michael Waller, executive director of the Georgia Appleseed Center for Law & Justice, said cooling inside homes is a serious safety concern that extends beyond heat-related stress.

“Air conditioning units remove moisture from the air, and should filter the air, too.” Waller said. “When homes don’t have air conditioning to filter and take moisture out of the air, mold grows in the home. Mold is a big problem in Georgia and affects kids’ health in a really big way. It’s one of the drivers of Georgia’s high asthma rates among children.

“People really need this now.”

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