Wisconsin organizations work to keep residents warm as temperatures drop

By Abbey Taylor Milwaukee

PUBLISHED 7:59 PM ET Dec. 04, 2024

MILWAUKEE — As temperatures drop, the City of Milwaukee is starting to see an increase in complaints from residents experiencing heating issues.

Nonprofit organizations that help renters and homeowners with repairs are also experiencing an uptick in calls. That includes nonprofit Revitalize Milwaukee.

Verdia Hampton helps low-income veterans, elderly people and disabled residents get help fixing their homes. She works for Revitalize Milwaukee.

When Revitalize Milwaukee gets a call from a homeowner for help, it’s Hampton who answers the phone and starts an application for assistance.

“Some of the needs are very critical, which sometimes their furnace is out, their water heater is out,” Hampton said. “We have to make sure when we process those applications; we have to make sure we process them in 24 to 48 hours to ensure they get the services they need.” 

She said she’s answered more than 100 phone calls just in the past couple of weeks, as temperatures have started to drop. 

Revitalize Milwaukee CEO Melanie Roach said whether it’s putting in a new furnace or weatherizing a home, her team’s goal is to keep residents warm.

“As we all know the Wisconsin winters are long and brutal,” Roach said. “We’re not able to survive them without heat. This is a mandatory resource that everybody needs.”

It’s not just nonprofit organizations getting a lot of calls for furnace fixes. Private companies and city services are also inundated.

Jeremy McGovern, with Milwaukee’s Department of Neighborhood Services, said his team had 21 calls on Tuesday about rental properties having heat issues.

“When we will get the call, our inspector will go to the property [and] conduct an inspection measuring the temperature in the unit. And if they can find the temperature is below 67 degrees, they will write a violation which will result in a corrective order for the landlord,” McGovern said. 

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