PHOENIX – We know Arizona summers are deadly, but from new data Arizona State University researchers found that certain residents even at far greater risk in our heat.
Those facing homelessness are at serious risk for heat-related deaths, but homeowners are too. That being said, not all homes are created equal.
Research by Dr. Patricia Solis with ASU found that those who live in mobile or manufactured homes are faring worse.
“If those deaths occur indoors, disproportionately they’re happening to people who live in mobile homes and manufactured housing,” Solis said.
They found that 30% of the nearly 200 confirmed heat-related deaths in Maricopa County occurred in mobile or manufactured homes.
Mary Alice Theroux lives in a mobile home and is on the board of the Arizona Association of Manufactured Home and RV Owners.
During a meeting with Solis’ team, she said finances are tight.
“We have a lot of single income, and unfortunately a lot of widows or single income, in the parks that can’t afford the utilities and rising rents,” Theroux said. “Rising rents are a big problem.”
Solis agreed that’s a big problem, but not the only one.
“People who live in this type of housing are perhaps older and on fixed incomes, and they might have compounding health issues and maybe can’t afford it when utilities are going up, when the rent prices go up, all these things come together to place our families in much higher risk,” Solis explained.
They’re trying to take this information and find ways to present it to legislators to find action and change.
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