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Media Contact:
LINC Housing: Holly Ferris, (562)429-6456, cell (562)746-8461,
LINC Housing Receives Prestigious Grant from HUD’s Energy Innovation Fund
Citi and the Federal Home Loan Bank AHEAD Program Provide Additional Funds
to Support Green Initiatives
LONG BEACH, Calif., May 14, 2012 — LINC Housing, as part of the National Multifamily Energy Services Collaborative, was awarded a portion of $23 million in grants from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s (HUD) Energy Innovation Fund (EIF). Grants were given to a dozen organizations that presented plans to bring leading edge energy saving solutions and ideas to the housing market.
“These grants are being awarded to a diverse collection of organizations that will help us find new ways to cut energy, save money and generate jobs,” said Acting Federal Housing Commissioner Carol Galante. “This is more than just ‘going green.’ It’s about bringing real dollars and cents solutions to a sector of the market that is currently wasting money heating and cooling buildings, some of which were built more than a generation ago.”
The Collaborative was awarded $2.8 million, which will be matched and leveraged with public, private and philanthropic funding to secure a total of $12 million for the program. The Collaborative’s goal is to develop a service delivery model that can be replicated and taken to scale across the affordable housing field, making energy efficiency practices an integral part of developing, preserving and managing affordable housing. The partnership with LINC Housing, Hispanic Housing Development Corporation, CNT Energy, and Enterprise Community Partners aims to impact dozens of properties and several thousand units of affordable housing.
“The resources from HUD are critical for us to explore the financial feasibility of launching new energy services companies,” said Hunter L. Johnson, president & CEO of LINC Housing. “Being able to work with Enterprise through The Collaborative will enable us to apply our experience to date in this emerging field, while building a platform that can be accessed by other community development entities looking to diversify their offerings in this space.”
The comprehensive delivery system for providing energy services will allow affordable housing owners and residents to increase the efficient use of energy in their properties, and will result in:
| • | Verification of quantifiable energy and water reductions |
| • | Increased capacity of affordable housing owners to manage buildings in a more energy and water efficient manner, including use of available technology |
| • | Increased ability of residents to directly share the financial benefits of energy and water conservation measures in multifamily housing developments |
| • | Robust data-driven information that will form the basis of underwriting models to develop financing for new green developments, retrofits and rehabilitation specifications, and |
| • | New businesses that can expand the delivery of these services to multiple owners. |
LINC’s first effort using funds from HUD’s EIF grant is at City Gardens Apartments, a 274-unit family complex in Santa Ana, Calif. The green retrofit will include solar domestic hot water, cooling systems, new CFL lighting and occupancy sensors, low-flow toilets and showerheads inside apartments as well as water-conserving landscaping controls. Grant funds will also benefit other California properties in Los Angeles, Lancaster, Whittier, La Quinta, La Palma, and Redondo Beach. Fran Hereth of Kango Development is helping LINC in the program design and implementation of this landmark work.
LINC’s commitment to bring sustainable, healthy housing to low-income Californians is also supported by grants from the Citi Foundation and the Federal Home Loan Bank of San Francisco AHEAD program. Citi awarded LINC Housing a $30,000 grant to fund consulting services to plan green retrofits. The Federal Home Loan Bank of San Francisco AHEAD grant program provided $20,000 to create a business plan for LINC’s energy services company.
“It’s rewarding to see so many different organizations embrace the desire to make our work as environmentally sustainable as possible,” said Johnson. “As LINC evolves, our team remains committed to creating affordable housing for our most vulnerable citizens, and now, we can be even more proud as we ensure those homes are healthy and green.”
About LINC Housing Corporation
LINC Housing, one of California’s most productive nonprofit developers of affordable
housing, has helped create more than 7,000 homes in 60 communities throughout the state.
The organization’s properties are known for excellent design, outstanding management
and life-enhancing services for its residents. LINC has 28 years of service to families,
seniors, and local governments helping to create sustainable communities via new construction,
acquisition and rehabilitation, and historic preservation.
