Contact:
MILWAUKEE – As the hottest heat wave of the season converges upon the region, the Wisconsin Public Service Commission announced it is awarding a $500,000 grant to be shared by Revitalize Milwaukee and Green Homeowners United to help the nonprofit organizations upgrade the homes of 50 low-income homeowners to be more energy efficient.
The homes to be upgraded are located in Milwaukee or Waukesha counties.
The upgrades are intended to help the homes diminish their carbon emissions and help the homeowners cut their utility bills.
“If you are struggling to pay your energy bill and your home is inefficient, you are essentially on a hamster wheel that you might not ever get off,” Wisconsin Public Service Commission Chairperson Rebecca Cameron Valcq said. “These dollars are going to be key to help us reach our goal of 100 percent electricity consumed in the state of Wisconsin to be coming from carbon-free sources. But it starts at home.”
“There are a lot of homeowners out there who unfortunately are living in subpar conditions with either really high electrical bills and/or without proper facilities,” said Lynnea Katz-Petted, CEO of Revitalize Milwaukee, a nonprofit organization that provides free home repairs to low-income homeowners in southeastern Wisconsin.
Katz-Petted said the funds will help low-income veterans and their families, disabled people and the elderly, especially within communities of color.
“If you’re 87 years old and you’re in a wheelchair, you’re not going to go out and get a second job to pay for a new furnace or air conditioner,” Katz-Petted said.
“Organizations like Revitalize Milwaukee are critical to ensuring all communities have access to energy efficiency measures, regardless of Zip Codes. Efficient homes enjoy lower energy bills and are crucial to stabilizing neighborhoods,” Valq said.
Revitalize Milwaukee also raised more than $60,000 at its first annual charity golf outing at Western Lakes Golf Club in Pewaukee this week. For more information, visit www.freehomerepairs.org.
