Herman Combs goes to a local community center to stay cool during the hot summer days, but with help from the Working Families’ Friend weatherization program, his home will soon be much cooler. The program is available for homes between Truman Road and 59th Street, from Broadway to I–435.
Herman Combs has lived in his home for more than two decades, and he’s experienced some extreme temperatures. In the winter? “Cold,” he says, “and I have a big gas bill.” In the summer? “No air conditioning,” he admits. “I go to the community center to stay cool during the day.” But this week, that’s changing as Combs’ house gets weatherized through a program called Working Families’ Friend.
According to Connie Mann of Working Families’ Friend, her organization has teamed up with WillCo Home Performance Services to provide free weatherization services for qualified residents. The program is sponsored by Kansas City Power & Light and Missouri Gas Energy, and priority is given to the elderly, families with children, and people with disabilities. To qualify, residents must meet income guidelines.
With numerous homes in Midtown built at the turn of the century or soon after, many homes have never been insulated or updated to make them comfortable in the summer and winter.
A weatherization worker blows insulation into a home.
The weatherization program includes an energy audit on the house and can include installation of insulation, caulking and weather stripping, and repair or replacement of furnaces, water heaters and/or air conditioner units.
For more information about the program, contact Connie Mann at Working Families’ Friend, (816) 842-5600, extension 304 or connie@wffriend.org.
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