HARLEM, Manhattan (PIX11) – Even though it hasn't reached emergency heat temperatures yet in New York City, officials are reminding everyone to check in on their older neighbors.

On Thursday, it was hotter inside some of the apartments at NYCHA's King Towers in Harlem than it was outside. KaTrina Dinham and Leona Shoemaker were going door to door to make sure their neighbors are not too hot in their homes.

Christina Enrique, 61, said she got out of the shower and quickly started sweating in her living room due to her air conditioning not working. There are hundreds of older residents like Enrique who live at the King Towers.

Anya Herasme, the associate commissioner for the New York City Department for the Aging, said the Home Energy Assistance Program (HEAP) can help. HEAP can help eligible New Yorkers cool down their homes.

"If you are eligible, you may receive one Cooling Assistance benefit per applicant household for the purchase and installation of an air conditioner or a fan to help your home stay cool," the HEAP website states. "Only one air conditioner or fan, not to exceed $800 with installation for a window, portable air conditioner, or fan and not to exceed $1,000 for an existing wall sleeve unit, will be provided per applicant household."

New York City's cooling centers will also be available when it becomes hot enough to activate them.

Older residents like 92-year-old Rose Flack knitted inside her nearby senior center to stay cool on Thursday. Flack has asthma, and she said her apartment is just too hot to handle. The King Towers senior center needs volunteers to help with its older residents this summer.

New York City’s sweltering summers can be deadly. Suspected heat-related illness sent more than 700 people to the emergency room last year, according to data compiled by the Department of Health.

The health department also reports that heat stress kills about seven New Yorkers per year on average, and hundreds more die from conditions exacerbated by the heat, such as diabetes and heart disease.