These words are accurate. They also stop well short of what they seem to promise.
Open. A cooling center is open. In Maricopa County, a third of residents surveyed had never heard of one. Over half who visited walked to get there. The word tells you about hours. It tells you nothing about the trip.
Present. An AC unit noted at a scene. Among Maricopa County's 2025 indoor heat deaths, AC was present 94% of the time, nonfunctioning in 72% of those cases. A unit in the window and a livable temperature are two different facts.
Awarded. A FEMA buyout grant approved. North Carolina's post-Helene HMGP: four months from award to first closings. Then appraisal, demolition, deed restriction. The approval is real. Everything after it takes months.
Available. A program accepts applications. Georgia's LIHEAP cooling aid: first-come, first-served until funds run out. By the time many families apply, the money is already gone.
Eligible. A household meets criteria. North Carolina's HMGP requires the local government to file, not the homeowner. A property can qualify while no application exists on its behalf.
Enrolled. A name in a database. HHS emPOWER tracks over 4.6 million Medicare beneficiaries on electricity-dependent equipment. Nobody knocks on their door because of it.
What each word doesn't answer
Open → Reachable how? Pets allowed? ID required? Open at the hour you can get there?
Present → Running? Set to what temperature? Affordable to operate this month?
Awarded → When is closing? What steps remain? When can the household actually move?
Available → How much funding is left? How long from application to aid?
Eligible → Who files? Has anyone filed? Where is it in the queue?
Enrolled → Has anyone contacted this household? Is a backup power plan in place?