Get $5,000 in Hawthorne Advantage Down Payment Assistance!

Post by Jeff Skrenes, Hawthorne Neighborhood Council Housing Director.  Photo from a Minnesota Public Radio article on the Hawthorne EcoVillage.

The Hawthorne Neighborhood Council recently revamped its down payment assistance program from a percentage of the sales price to a flat $5,000.  Any owner-occupant purchasing a home in Hawthorne should inquire to CEE about qualifying for this assistance.  The $5,000 is recorded as a lien on the home, although we will go behind virtually any other assistance program.  The loan does not accrue interest and it is forgiven after ten years.

As an aside, it takes a while for each site that lists our down payment assistance to be updated, so even the CEE link references the old program.  That will change shortly.  And a special thanks goes out to a NoMi Realtor extraordinnaire, Constance Nompelis.  Connie did several market analysis reports for the Hawthorne Neighborhood Council board and housing committee.  These reports helped our neighborhood understand what the market was like in Hawthorne, and how we should construct an assistance program that was an appropriate response to housing conditions here.  She provided this service as a volunteer for the community, and we are grateful for her help.

Come and check out home ownership opportunities in Hawthorne!  We've got a great community and $5,000 in assistance for you.

CEE Expands Programs to Support Energy-Efficient Businesses

Post and photo by Jeff Skrenes, Hawthorne Neighborhood Housing Director

The Center for Energy and Environment has expanded their programs and they are now able to serve businesses throughout the city of Minneapolis and non-profits statewide.  Click here for a matrix of programs.

Free Home Energy Visits Also Generate Funding for Neighborhoods!

Post and photos by Jeff Skrenes, Hawthorne Neighborhood Council Housing Director.  Photos originally appeared on the Johnny Northside blog.

Hawthorne board member John Hoff was kind enough to allow me to document his home enegy visit from CEE.  These free home visits include tips on how to make your house more energy-efficient, supplies and materials to make that happen, and information on access to more low-interest home rehab loans.  In case this hasn't been emphasized enough, the visits and materials are FREE to owner-occupants.  The only requirement is that recipients must first attend a workshop (which is ALSO free) put on by the Center for Energy and Environment.  Here are the next two workshop dates:

Thursday, March 24, 6:00 pm
North Regional Library (1315 Lowry Ave N)

Thursday, March 31, 6:30 pm
Salvation Army (2727 Central Ave NE)

For more information, or to reserve a spot, contact Kyle Boehm at kboehm@mncee.org or 612-219-7334.

But wait, there's more!   CEE and the McKnight Foundation have been generous enough to help fund a friendly cross-neighborhood challenge.  There are various levels of awards given out for neighborhood participation.  The more people participate, the greater award each neighborhood may be eligible for.  So here's how it works for you as a Hawthorne resident:  attend a free workshop about energy savings, get free materials that will make your home more energy-efficient, sign up for a free home energy visit where experts can give even more personal tips, AND participating can help fund your neighborhood organization.

So what are you waiting for?  Sign up today?

Flier for upcoming workshops
McKnight Outreach Challenge flier

New Residential Energy Program Coming to Hawthorne!

Post and photos by Jeff Skrenes

Learn how to reduce your energy use and save money! The Hawthorne Neighborhood Council has teamed up with the Center for Energy and Environment, CenterPoint Energy and Xcel Energy to offer Hawthorne homeowners Community Energy Services, CES, a full service residential energy program.

The program will not only provide you with information about reducing your energy use by installing low-cost/no-cost measures in your home, but it will also provide you with the tools and financing necessary if you are ready to make larger investments such as insulation, sealing bypasses and installing new windows.

Community Energy Services Provides:

• FREE educational workshops to teach homeowners how to lower their energy use and save money;

• FREE educational workshops to teach homeowners how to lower their energy use and save money;

• Customized home energy visits from qualified professionals who will identify additional ways for residents to save in their homes, including a blower door test. Up to $400 in services and materials for a co-pay of only $20, however the Hawthorne Neighborhood Council will cover the co-pay of the first 150 people to sign up for the program, giving you a $400 value for free;

• Personalized energy use inventory for the last 12 months and feedback for the next 12 months to show the homeowner how these low-cost/no-cost measures resulted in decreased energy use, also allowing participants to compare their energy use to that of their neighbors also participating in the program (confidentially of course);

• Information on financing, incentives, stimulus funding and rebates for those wishing to complete larger projects such as insulation or a furnace replacement.

SAVE THE DATES!
A general informational workshop will be held at Farview Park on Wednesday, January 13, 2010 6:30 - 8:30 p.m. Two other workshops to sign up for these FREE services will be held on Wednesday, February 17th, 6:30 - 8:30 p.m. and Saturday, February 20th, 10 a.m. - noon. Call or email Ashley Robertson to reserve your spot TODAY, at 612-335-5869 or arobertson@mncee.org.

By being a part of the Community Energy Services program you will be one of the first people in the state to have access to everything this program has to offer! Invite your friends, neighbors and family, all Hawthorne homeowners are welcome!

Funding for this project was provided by the Minnesota Environment and Natural Resources Trust Fund as recommended by the Legislative-Citizen Commission on Minnesota Resources (LCCMR).