The DC Department of Energy and Environment (DOEE) is currently signing up qualified District residents (those who meet the income qualifications listed below) for its Solar For All program. It aims to sign up around 2,000 District residents in the next few months. Qualified residents that sign-up receive credits on their Pepco bill of around $500 per year, which is about 50% of the average Pepco bill for District residents, allowing them to share in the benefits of clean solar power. For more information, please contact DOEE at solarforall@dc.gov or (202) 299-5271.

Washington DC residents can participate in Solar for All single family solar or community solar options if the household income is below 80% of the area median income (AMI) threshold.

^{Household income amounts listed in the eligibility table are effective as of 06/28/19, but may change.}

In 2017 National Housing Trust (NHT) partnered with Enterprise Community Partners to create Where Will We Live, a campaign which highlights the importance of affordable housing by uplifting resident voices and drawing the connection between access to affordable housing and health, education and economic opportunity.

Throughout 2018, the Where Will We Live team traveled across the country interviewing over 150 low-income residents and community members about their experiences with affordable housing and how access to federal housing assistance helps residents access greater economic opportunity, health care, supportive services, and education.

The growing gallery of resident stories is available as a resource for stakeholders to use to help make the case for affordable housing for low-income residents – it can even be filtered by state and cross-sector topic. This information can be shared via blogs, newsletters, tweets, or other media. Access the gallery here.

DEADLINE EXTENDED TO NOVEMBER 15!
The DCSEU is accepting applications for the FY 2020 Income Qualified Efficiency Fund. The fund allows owners and managers of affordable housing, clinics, and shelters, as well as contractors working on projects at these buildings, to apply for funding from the DCSEU for energy efficiency projects. The deadline for applications has been extended to November 15, 2019. For more information, please contact the DCSEU at 202-479-2222 or incomequalified@dcseu.com.

The DCSEU has no-cost technical assistance, financial incentives, and training opportunities available for DC affordable housing developers, building owners, and property managers:

• The DCSEU’s Income-Qualified Efficiency Fund recently opened its application process for FY 2020. If you own or operate a multifamily property, shelter, or clinic that serves low- to moderate-income District residents and are making upgrades to your building, find out more about financial incentives available from the DCSEU for your projects.
• The DCSEU has rebates available when you upgrade to more energy-efficient equipment in your building. Find out more about rebates available for lighting and HVAC equipment.
• DC-based Contractors and maintenance staff can join the DCSEU for a free class on Energy Efficiency Best Practices for Contractors on September 4^th and 5^th. The class will cover HVAC and lighting, focusing on critical topics such as heating, cooling, water heating, lighting fixtures, controls, and more. Contact the DCSEU at 202-479-2222 or incomequalified@dcseu.com to find out more and sign up.

For more information on how the DCSEU can help you, call 202-479-2222 or e-mail incomequalified@dcseu.com.

On Sunday, May 5th, A Wider Circle invites you to walk, run, bike, or ride to its Center for Community Service in Silver Spring, arriving anytime from 12:00pm – 4:00pm to engage in an afternoon of community-building activities.

The center is located at 9159 Brookville Road, Silver Spring, MD 20910 and, upon arrival, you will have the option to choose from a variety of family-friendly volunteer service projects! Click here to register.

Can’t make it on May 5? No problem! A Wider Circle invites schools, congregations and businesses to host community walks on their property from May 5th – May 11th.Email volunteer@awidercircle.org if you would like to have a speaker from A Wider Circle at your community walk.

Walk sponsorships are available and include numerous opportunities with full branding and exposure as a community partner. Click here for details on sponsor levels and benefits.

David Bowers, Enterprise Community Partners Market Leader & Co-Convener of the Housing Leaders Group of Greater Washington launches the Capital Region Housing Challenge. Photo courtesy of Bisnow.

The recently launched Capital Region Housing Challenge, was featured in a recent Bisnow article. Titled, “D.C.-Area Business Leaders Launch $1B Affordable Housing Challenge,” the story details the regional effort to catalyze $1 billion to accelerate greater housing affordability in the Capital Region. An excerpt from the piece reads:

The Housing Leaders Group of Greater Washington launched the Capital Region Housing Challenge, an effort to spur the D.C. region’s public and private sectors to each add $500M in affordable housing investments above their current baseline by the end of 2020.

Housing Leaders Group co-convenor David Bowers, also the market leader for Enterprise Community Partners, announced the challenge at Bisnow’s Metro D.C. Affordable Housing Summit Wednesday morning in a rousing call to action.

‘The challenge is the call to work collectively, across sectors and geographic boundaries, to fundamentally move the baseline of thinking and investment and connect capital to solutions,” Bowers said. “Those of you that are already investing, we’re challenging you to do more.’

Bowers emphasized that the challenge does not represent a new fund. Rather it is a campaign to spur additional investment in affordable housing from a wide range of sources by setting an ambitious goal and tracking its progress over the next 21 months.

HAND is a member of the Housing Leaders Group of Greater Washington, and you can learn more about the partnership here.

You can find more information on the Challenge and its launch here.