 Most public housing was built before central AC, and decades-old rules have meant the federal housing agency could subsidize only heating but not cooling. Daniel Carpenter-Gold with the Public Health Law Center welcomes the new change but says it falls short. It's an option, not a mandate, he says, and residents must ask for the help. They might not get the notice in the first place that this is a thing, and the residents might not apply in time when the heat strikes.