Nearly $200,000 in grants awarded to nonprofits offering solar power for low-income communities
Nine grantees will receive training and technical assistance; projects will provide job training
Washington, DC – September 16, 2015 – (RealEstateRama) — Nine grantees will collectively receive $170,000 in grants to equip affordable single- and multi-family homes with solar power, announced NeighborWorks America, a national nonprofit that creates opportunities for people to live in affordable homes, improve their lives and strengthen their communities. The average household pays nearly $170 each month in energy costs, and the typical homeowner saves more than $1,000 a year on electricity by installing roof-top solar panels.
Under NeighborWorks America’s partnership with GRID Alternatives, the country’s largest nonprofit solar installer, 68 homes and 6 multifamily buildings serving 50 farmworker families will be equipped with solar panels. NeighborWorks America will provide funding to offset the cost of each solar installation for our local grant recipients and GRID Alternatives will provide training, technical assistance and thousands of additional dollars to each project.
“NeighborWorks America is increasing its support of low-income communities by giving them access to greener, more efficient power,” said Paul Weech, chief executive officer at NeighborWorks America chief executive officer. “We are helping to lower the utility costs for individuals and families around the country, and we are pleased to join in this partnership with GRID Alternatives. Together we are increasing the access of low-income families to solar power.”
The solar installation grant recipients are:
Eatontown, NJ: Affordable Housing Alliance
Centereach, NY: Community Development Corporation of Long Island
Westminster, CO: Community Resources and Housing Development Corp.
New York, NY: Neighborhood Housing Services of New York City
Ontario, CA: Neighborhood Partnership Housing Services
Rochester, NY: NeighborWorks Rochester
Kingston, NY: RUPCO
Visalia, CA: Self-Help Enterprises
Camden, NJ: St. Joseph’s Carpenter Society
All of the solar projects in the partnership will provide hands-on professional-development opportunities in the booming solar industry for local trainees in each community. Trainees will come from the local community, including students from area community colleges and job-training programs, as well as from GRID Alternatives’ SolarCorps Fellowship Program, which recently received a major investment from the federal AmeriCorps program. According to the U.S. Census, solar installation jobs offer wages of $20-$24 an hour, but usually do not require advanced education.
For more information about NeighborWorks America, visit NeighborWorks.org.
About NeighborWorks America
For more than 35 years, NeighborWorks America has created opportunities for people to improve their lives and strengthen their communities by providing access to homeownership and to safe and affordable rental housing. In the last five years, NeighborWorks organizations have generated more than $24.5 billion in reinvestment in these communities. NeighborWorks America is the nation’s leading trainer of community development and affordable housing professionals .
Contact:
Lindsay Moore
202-760-4059
@neighborworkspr
