Geelong Sustainability seeks funding to help community’s most vulnerable

AS THE accolades for Geelong Sustainability’s Climate Safe Rooms initiative continue to roll in, the team is hoping the recognition will help them find funding to expand the reach of the project.

The initiative aimed to upgrade the energy efficiency of one room in 16 Geelong-based households to provide comfort during both summer and winter climate extremes.

The retrofit included the installation of energy-efficient lighting and air-conditioning systems, draught proofing and insulation, and solar systems to cover the costs associated with air-conditioner usage.

Sixteen low-income households participated in the program.

Each housed at least one resident receiving home care support services for an existing chronic health condition who were deemed at risk of harm caused by exposure to heatwaves and extreme cold.

Program participants such as Deborah Haygarth reported increased comfort, health and happiness after the installation of the climate safe room.

Many also exhibited increased activity levels, higher self-care ability and fewer visits to the doctor.

“Air-conditioning is essential. If I get overheated, I can collapse,” Ms Haygarth, who has multiple sclerosis and is unable to easily regulate her body temperature on warm days, said.

“Since being part of the project, my bills have dropped thanks to the solar panels on the roof, and the extra money has improved my mental health too.

“I’m no longer worried about how I’m going to afford the power and can visit family and friends again.”

Geelong Sustainability chief executive Dan Cowdell said there were still “hundreds of thousands of homes” that needed to be upgraded across Victoria and Australia.

“The pilot program has been so successful that we want to see this work scaled up.

“There are far more people in need of this in our community and things have only become worse in terms of cost-of-living pressures, and the outlook for this summer being an absolute scorcher.”

As climate change continues to increase the frequency and intensity of heatwaves across the country, the number of individuals vulnerable to the health impacts of climate extremes is also climbing.

The risk of death attributed to cold weather remains a concern, with nearly 85 per cent of Victorian homes experiencing indoor temperatures below the World Health Organisation’s safe threshold of 18 degrees.

“We’re in the process of applying for philanthropic grants to scale up to upgrade at least 100 homes but we have a bigger ambition to install over a thousand Climate Safe Rooms across the region,” Mr Cowdell said.

“To do this we need a much bigger funding commitment from the state and federal governments of $10 million.

“So far, we’ve had positive discussions about the program with our local members of parliament and we’ll be advocating strongly for funding to protect the most vulnerable people in our community from climate extremes.”

For more information, head to geelongsustainability.org.au/project/climate-safe-rooms/