Houston City Council member Alejandra Salinas will give away portable air conditioners to residents in need throughout August.
The details
To be eligible for the giveaway, residents must fit into one of these categories:
- Seniors 60 years old or older
- Low-income households
- Disabled veterans
- Individuals with disabilities
- Families facing financial hardship
Up to 125 units will be distributed. Salinas said this giveaway will help provide immediate relief to Houston residents who need it most to stay safe during the heat.
“In Houston, access to air conditioning can no longer be a luxury,” she said in a written statement. “No senior, veteran, person with a disability, or family struggling to make ends meet should have to endure dangerous indoor temperatures because they cannot afford adequate cooling.”
Some context
This giveaway comes right before Houston City Council is set to vote on the Right to Air Conditioning ordinance, which Salinas proposed in July to close a loophole that allowed rental properties to use window screens as a substitute for cooling. Salinas’ changes to the ordinance would instead require property owners to provide and maintain operable air conditioning.
If passed, the ordinance would require compliance through providing either central air, window units, portable A/Cs or other refrigerated air equipment. However, the ordinance would not require buildings without central air to be retrofitted with it.
Why it matters
Between 2019 and 2023, Harris County Public Health reported more than 7,600 cases of heat-related illness, according to Salinas’ office, and local health data shows that indoor environments without air conditioning significantly increase the risk of heat-related health complications.
One more thing
Residents may apply for a portable A/C unit through an online application form, which closes Aug. 31 or until the city runs out of units. City council is set to vote on the ordinance at its Aug. 19 meeting.
