Thousands of NYC Shelter Residents Lack Air Conditioning

Residents of New York City homeless shelters are often barred from installing air conditioning units, report Andy Newman and Julian Roberts-Grmela for The New York Times, putting many at risk of heat-related illnesses. “Thousands of families with children live in New York City shelters that lack air-conditioning in the rooms where people live and sleep, even in the depths of a heat wave.” More than 100 NYC shelters are in buildings without air conditioning. 

According to the article, “The city allows air-conditioners to be installed in units in older shelter buildings, but residents must obtain a note from a health care provider saying that a unit is medically necessary.” Yet even when residents have a doctor’s note, some say they had a hard time getting AC units approved, and the city says some buildings’ wiring isn’t equipped to handle the demand of ACs in every room. “Shelters typically have an air-conditioned common area, but those rooms do not offer places to sleep.”