Post by Jeff Skrenes, Hawthorne Neighborhood Council Housing Director. Photo and quoted items from the Center for Energy and Environment.
From CEE:
Hawthorne Neighborhood Council
Awarded a $2,500 Grant!
The Hawthorne
Neighborhood Council (HNC) was awarded a $2,500 grant from the Center for
Energy and Environment and the McKnight Foundation on Tuesday, October 25th,
for placing 10th in the participation grant challenge, with 8.26% of
eligible properties completing a home energy visit through Community Energy
Services (CES). HNC Housing Director
Jeff Skrenes was on hand to accept the award. The award was presented at the Community Energy
Services Award Ceremony where partnering neighborhood organizations and
volunteers were awarded over $45,000 in grants for their work with CES.
Since spring of
2010, HNC has been a partner in the Community Energy Services program,
providing over 40 home visits that have helped homeowners’ save energy and
money in their homes. CES is still
available in Hawthorne and throughout Minneapolis, with now being a great time
to participate and prepare your home for winter. Please visit www.mnces.org for a list of upcoming presentations where
you can learn how to save energy and money in your home and sign up for the
home energy visit for $30.
Come
join over 4,000 Minneapolis homeowners already participating. For more information about Community Energy
Services or to view a list of Community Energy Service Award Recipients, visit www.mnces.org or
call (612) 219-7334.
From Jeff Skrenes:
This award was especially meaningful because many of the other recipients were from areas of the city with much higher rates of home ownership. The outreach and organizing efforts from Hawthorne community leaders and staff, and the strong partnership between Hawthorne and CEE, are exemplified in the success of this program.
Furthermore, one of the refrains we heard from our community after the home energy visits was that the basic services were helpful but access to funds that would help with bigger-ticket items like a furnace or boiler was still quite limited. In response to that concern, Hawthorne created a green rehab loan product. Property owners in Hawthorne can apply for up to $4,500 in assistance with home repairs that line up with Minnesota Green Communities guidelines. The assistance is a lien against the property, but has no interest or monthly payment and is forgivable over time. Contact Brenda Yaritz at CEE for more information or to apply.
