LOUISVILLE, Ky. — With a heat advisory underway in Kentuckiana, temperatures can be deadly without the right shelter or resources. That's why city leaders and local non-profits are stepping in to help.
Betsy Ruhe, Metro Councilwoman of District 21, and other participating council districts have partnered with General Electric and the Association of Community Ministries to give out 75 free air conditioning units to families in south Louisville.
It's an area that is known to be home to various families of different backgrounds and languages.
"One in four people in District 21 is from somewhere else," Ruhe said. "They're newly immigrated into the country so it's a very high priority in our district, to make sure that we reach out. We can't leave 25% of our people out there in the cold and the heat."
Metro government isn't the only entity helping south Louisville families beat the heat.
The Americana World Community Center started its Summer Heatwave Utilities Assistance Fund in June to help any struggling family, who is new to the area, pay their electric or water bill.
"Sometimes it hard to ask for help because you don't want to admit it," said Vashti Min, an employee of AWCC. "You want to look as if you can provide for your own family. Sometimes it doesn't work like that."
Min has seen first hand how AWCC helps families like hers. She's a Thailand native whose family benefited from their programs and now she works for the nonprofit.
"My mom who needed help and when she found out about Americana I was basically raised here," Min said. "I joined their summer program, after school program, and I learned a lot. Then it made me want to pursue social work to give back to the community."
She's glad AWCC started their latest fund to help other families get through the growing pains of settling into their new home.
"As I grew up here I've noticed that the heat waves are so bad and the people out here are struggling to get water sometimes during the summer," Min said. "Bills are high and it just gets hard."
As the AWCC raises funds to help keep the power on for families, Ruhe and the Association of Community Ministries are handing out air conditioning units to prevent serious harm.
Just last year, a south Louisville teen died after trying to cool down in a car in a closed garage.
"Because of that tragedy I tried to fund legislative fixes and found out that was harder and it's going to take considerable time," Ruhe said. "But in the meantime I want to make sure since our summers are getting hotter and longer that our constituents have air conditioning of some sort."
The AWCC said they need your help making sure no family goes without power and air conditioning this summer. To donate to their Summer Heatwave Utilities Assistance Fund click here.
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