SALEM — Salem Alliance for the Environment (SAFE) and the North Shore CDC hosted the first of a series of community-led heat resilience events Tuesday to continue efforts to address the impacts of rising temperatures on Salem residents.
The resident-led community conversation is part of a larger collaboration between the city and the two organizations to engage with residents on improving access to resources to deal with the summer heat, and educate about different community services and emergency shelters that are available.
Last year, the city, SAFE, and the North Shore CDC each received equal funding from the Barr Foundation to collaborate and explore challenges local residents face in dealing with extreme heat.
“Last year, we were out in the city with residents trying to do a little bit of information gathering, as well as some information sharing about the health impacts around heat,” SAFE executive director Bonnie Bain said. “It was really about building trust and connection around the conversation. So this year is really about implementation.”
From that survey, organizers found various areas where local efforts to address extreme heat could be focused. Chief among those issues was a lack of affordability for essential cooling measures such as air conditioning. In June, organizers began to address this issue by running their first energy fair, helping community members access resources for lower energy rates.
“We invited National Grid in, and we helped 10 people get on a lower energy rate by connecting them with the right programs,” Bain said. “There were three people on what we call ‘predatory lending’ where a third-party will dupe people into signing up for a higher rate. So we’re addressing things that are often happening in the dark.”
And importantly, they are working to ensure community conversations and resources are accessible to all Salem residents, regardless of language barriers. This led to the first heat resilience event Tuesday being held in The Point neighborhood with an emphasis on Spanish speakers.
“All of us decided to focus (this event) in The Point, as the most densely populated neighborhood,” Bain said. “Language access can be a big challenge and opportunity to focus resources towards addressing high heat. It’s a much hotter neighborhood because of the density, the low number of trees, and black rooftops that actually create a lot of heat.”
From this event, the city, SAFE, and North Shore CDC are hoping to build upon their information gathering to hear what specific issues and solutions the residents who are most impacted by extreme heat would like to see get more attention and funding. The data thus far has shown patterns where many residents choose not to leave their neighborhoods to utilize resources elsewhere when temperatures rise.
“It’s really important that we continue to collect data on why people choose not to leave their neighborhood,” Bain said. “Is it fear of things like ICE? Is it transit? It’s something we want to keep looking at, especially because the Salem Skipper seems like it will be running out of funding very soon.”
She said this pattern has also shown up with the parks in The Point neighborhood, where some provide better cooling measures than others. For instance, Mary Jane Lee Park provides a lot of shade, a splash pad, and is heavily utilized by the neighborhood during times of extreme heat, whereas Palmer Cove Park is larger in area, but has less shade and spaces to sit, suggesting an opportunity for greater utilization with cooling infrastructure or tree plantings.
At Tuesday’s event and others planned for the future, organizers are also distributing cooling kits, electric fans, CamelBaks, and other simple devices for cooling that can make an immediate difference for vulnerable neighbors. Bain said the focus is to continue to build an open community dialogue to start conversations around what measures should be taken to address heat, led by those who are most affected.
“We see this as a broader issue that is going to continue to need support,” she said. “It’s not getting cooler, it’s only going to get hotter, and we have to face that reality. So the question becomes how we can create social resilience and connection to continue to support our neighbors?”
Another heat resilience discussion is planned for late August in downtown Salem, with exact details to be determined. Information about future events can be found at salemsafe.org/events-calendar/, or follow SAFE on Instagram, @salemsafe_ej.
Michael McHugh can be contacted at mmchugh@northofboston.com or at 781-799-5202