Even in the midst of the growing housing affordability challenge, black and brown real estate developers are still facing the obstacle of accessing the capital needed to execute their plans to revitalize communities. HAND is pleased to announce that it has partnered with Greystone to launch Equity in Action, a debt and equity platform designed to increase opportunity for black and brown real estate developers who seek to create communities where all can thrive. Participating developers and investors will gain direct access to advisory and financing solutions for affordable housing construction, refinancing, recapitalization, and acquisition, including Greystone’s #1 ranked FHA lending platform.

Keeping with our commitment to center racial equity, HAND is intentional in embedding these values into our operations, creating solutions that drive just and equitable outcomes for communities of color. We know there is a vested interest in doing more of the same, and we strive to model for our members what it means to address the longstanding barriers that are woven into the very fabric of our society – benefiting a few at the expense of others.

The platform is open to current HAND members, and developers of color are strongly encouraged to apply.

Learn more about Equity in Action here.

You can access the full press release here.

The Department of Energy and Environment is still accepting applications for its no-cost benchmarking data verification initiative! If you have a building over 50,000 square feet that is currently covered by the District’s benchmarking law, then you are eligible for free data verification. Data verification is a new benchmarking requirement established in the Clean Energy DC Omnibus Act of 2018 and will need to be conducted by a third-party licensed professional in future reporting years. However, DOEE is offering a one-time no-cost data verification for your 2019 benchmarking data. With the upcoming Building Energy Performance Standards (BEPS),having accurate and verified benchmarking data is especially crucial, as this data will be used to set the performance standards for the first BEPS cycle starting in 2021, as well as determine which properties fall above or below those standards.

If you are interested in receiving free data verification of your 2019 benchmarking data, you can access the application portal here. In order to receive data verification, you must completely fill out the application, answer all required questions, and provide all requested documents. If you would like to have more than one property verified, you will need to fill out an application for each unique property within the portal.

Calling all DC Property Owners & Managers! Under the Clean Energy DC Omnibus Act of 2018, your property will be required to obtain third-party verification every 3 years for benchmarking data submitted to the District Department of Energy Environment (DOEE). Given this is a new requirement, DOEE is partnering with the DC Sustainable Energy Utility (DCSEU) to offer a one-time no-cost data verification for your 2019 benchmarking data.

With the upcoming Building Energy Performance Standards, having accurate and verified benchmarking data is crucial, as this data will be used to set the performance standard that this property will be required to meet starting in 2021. In future years, data verification will need to be conducted by a third-party licensed professional, so we highly recommend taking advantage of this no-cost offering.

If you are interested in having your 2019 benchmarking data verified by DOEE or the DCSEU for free, please fill out this interest form. In the interim, you can start gathering information that you will need in order to have your benchmarking data verified (i.e. 2019 utility bills and property use details) and start submitting an application here. 

If you have any additional questions about this new requirement or this no-cost offering, please email DOEE directly at info.benchmark@dc.gov.

A new partnership with Bank of America enables Howard University to provide testing and health care to DC’s most vulnerable and under-served neighborhoods. An excerpt from the press release reads: 

Bank of America has awarded a $1M grant to the Howard University Faculty Practice Plan (HUFPP) to improve access to COVID-19 testing in the diverse Washington, D.C. communities located east of the river.

‘We’re excited to partner with Bank of America to get these critical resources to the areas that need them the most,” says Howard University President Wayne A. I. Frederick. “Many of our patients travel great distances to come to Howard University Hospital, which makes it challenging to seek medical attention at the first sign of illness. Our goal is to meet the community where they live so their access to care greatly improves and hopefully we can reduce the spread of the coronavirus significantly.’

Beginning on Tuesday, May 5, Howard University Faculty Practice Plan will host testing at the new Benning Road Center, located at 4414 Benning Road, N.E., Washington, D.C., Suite 2400. The free testing will be available on Tuesdays and Thursday, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. for the next three months. Residents can sign up by appointment by calling 202-865-2119, option 3. The team will see patients who are showing symptoms or who believe they are asymptomatic.

‘You will not need to have a doctor’s prescription in advance to get tested at our location,” says Dr. Hugh E. Mighty, Howard University vice president of clinical affairs. “We want to eliminate the obstacles so more people can be tested because we believe everyone should be tested. We want to screen our community neighbors in the areas where there are higher incidents of hypertension, heart disease and diabetes because those pre-existing conditions are linked to the higher incidents of coronavirus that we’ve seen in African American communities.’

As the need increases, the Howard team will look at expanding to include a mobile unit to provide testing options in a second area of the city. In addition to funding the tests and equipment, a portion of the grant will be used to enhance Howard University Hospital’s telehealth services. This will expand a doctor’s ability to see patients remotely and increase the patient’s access to care.

Read the full announcement here.