NHS Kicks Off NeighborWorks Week 2017!

On Saturday, June 3rd, NeighborWorks America officially kicked off their NeighborWorks Week events around the country. This year's theme is NeighborWorks Works!

NeighborWorks Week is a nationwide celebration of the good that comes out of neighbors working and playing together. Neighborhood Housing Services of New Haven and the entire NeighborWorks network are committed to bringing about positive change by improving lives and strengthening communities. NHS is helping residents thrive in New Haven, ensuring that the core needs of individuals are met by listening to our neighbors, no matter their income or professional position, and providing or linking residents to essential services.

This year, NHS of New Haven's volunteer event was themed "NeighborWorks Works for Veterans!"

Staff from both NHS and Save the Sound (a local nonprofit that aims to protect and improve the land, air, and water of Connecticut and the Long Island Sound) came together at the home of veteran, Loreen Lawrence, to make minor repairs and additions which included: sanding and staining a wheelchair ramp at the back of her home, landscaping in the front and backyards, as well as installing an eco-friendly rain barrel, storm drain and rain garden.

We simply cannot thank Kendal Barbery (Save the Sound) and her staff enough! Kendal worked the entire week prior to our kickoff with senior students from Hopkins School in order to prepare the rain garden installation. Kendal was also kind enough to teach the Hopkins Students (and NHS staff) the intricacies of designing and building a system that connects the gutters, rain barrel, storm drain and rain garden. The project will help diminish storm water runoff in the West River and the Long Island Sound and help prevent raw sewage from entering the water system unfiltered. 

At the rear of the home, NHS staff worked diligently on landscaping, as well as performing simple and small repairs to the wheelchair ramp and backyard deck. Staffers also managed to fit in time to stain the deck with a special traction paint.

The work is far from done, but NHS staff members are so proud to have been able to help a Veteran homeowner enjoy her home just a little bit more, become more environmentally savvy, and have a gorgeous deck to relax on. We look forward to a few more volunteer events at Loreen's home.

A few pictures of the event are below, and more can be found on our facebook page: www.facebook.com/nhsofnewhaven.

Meet the Instructor: Leslie Radcliffe!

NHS of New Haven is proud to announce our Inaugural Environmental Leadership Series! 

Learn about the environment and your neighborhood, connect with useful resources and people, and aspire to create your own environmental projects.

This year's workshops are as follows:

June 13, 2017: Climate, Health, and Neighborhoods
June 20, 2017: Home Energy-Efficiency, Going Solar, and Other Renewable Solutions
July 11, 2017: Planning a Project
July 18, 2017: Water in Your Home and Neighborhood
August 1, 2017: Talking Trash, Managing Waste, and Greening Neighborhood Spaces
August 8, 2017: Transportation Matters and Project Showcase

Leslie Radcliffe will be facilitating our third workshop on Planning Your Project!

Leslie Radcliffe is a life-long resident of New Haven. Her association with NHS began almost two decades ago when she began her journey to become a homeowner. In addition to attending financial literacy workshops, first-time homebuyer seminars, landlord classes, and resident leadership programs at NHS, Leslie has attended two Community Leadership Institute national programs, completed the New Haven Citizens Academy, graduated from the New Haven Democracy School, and is certified member of the Community Emergency Response Team. Active in service to her community, she worked with other residents, Urban Resources Initiative and New Haven Land Trust to establish the Truman Street Community Garden and Greenspace; is a Board member of the City of New Haven City Plan Commission; holds a seat on the New Haven Farms Community Advisory Board; serves as Secretary on the NHS Executive Board; reactivated the Truman Street Block Watch; participates in her District Management Team; holds office and serves faithfully in her church; and is a devoted mom and grandmother. She advocates for her community by working with residents, municipal and non-profit agencies, and other stakeholders for the betterment of her neighborhood and community. Her outlook on neighborhood improvement is ‘we may not be able to change the world but we can start right where we are ... yard by yard, block by block, street by street, neighborhood by neighborhood …’.   

His previous work included community organizing, human rights, youth leadership development, public health, and homeless support.

APPLY TODAY!!

Participants must attend at least five of the workshops listed above. 

Sessions will be held from 6pm-8pm at NHS of New Haven. Dinner will be provided. 

Visit our website to apply today! 

The application, as well as $20 registration fee, is due by June 6, 2017!

Meet the Instructor -- Chris Schweitzer!

NHS of New Haven is proud to announce our Inaugural Environmental Leadership Series! 

Learn about the environment and your neighborhood, connect with useful resources and people, and aspire to create your own environmental projects.

This year's workshops are as follows:

June 13, 2017: Climate, Health, and Neighborhoods
June 20, 2017: Home Energy-Efficiency, Going Solar, and Other Renewable Solutions
July 11, 2017: Planning a Project
July 18, 2017: Water in Your Home and Neighborhood
August 1, 2017: Talking Trash, Managing Waste, and Greening Neighborhood Spaces
August 8, 2017: Transportation Matters and Project Showcase

Chris Schweitzer will be facilitating our first Climate, Health, and Neighborhoods!

 

Chris is the Director of New Haven Leon Sister City Project, an organization that promotes education and sustainable development in Nicaragua and New Haven.  

His previous work included community organizing, human rights, youth leadership development, public health, and homeless support.

APPLY TODAY!!

Participants must attend at least five of the workshops listed above. 

Sessions will be held from 6pm-8pm at NHS of New Haven. Dinner will be provided. 

Visit our website to apply today! 

The application, as well as $20 registration fee, is due by June 6, 2017!

Meet the Instructor: Doug Hausladen!

NHS of New Haven is proud to announce our Inaugural Environmental Leadership Series! 

Learn about the environment and your neighborhood, connect with useful resources and people, and aspire to create your own environmental projects.

This year's workshops are as follows:

June 13, 2017: Climate, Health, and Neighborhoods
June 20, 2017: Home Energy-Efficiency, Going Solar, and Other Renewable Solutions
July 11, 2017: Planning a Project
July 18, 2017: Water in Your Home and Neighborhood
August 1, 2017: Talking Trash, Managing Waste, and Greening Neighborhood Spaces
August 8, 2017: Transportation Matters and Project Showcase

Doug Hausladen will be facilitating our sixth workshop on Transportation!

 

Doug Hausladen serves as the Director of the Transportation, Traffic & Parking (TT&P) Department for the City of New Haven and the Acting Executive Director of the New Haven Parking Authority (PNH). He was appointed to his position by Mayor Toni Harp for a four-year term beginning on February 1st, 2014. Prior to that time, he was twice-elected to the Board of Alders in New Haven representing the 7th Ward in Downtown. As Director of TT&P he is charged with the maintenance and safe operation of the City’s traffic signals and signs, on-street parking meters, parking enforcement, fair adjudication of parking ticket appeals, and school crossing guards in addition to transportation planning. As Acting ED of PNH he manages over $24Million in revenues earned by over 8,500 off-street parking spaces including 18 surface lots and 6 parking structures, including New Haven’s historic Union Station. Mr. Hausladen comes to the public sector from a transportation advocacy and activism background with professional experiences in real estate management, entrepreneurship, and public health. Mr. Hausladen was born and raised on the Northern Kentucky side of Cincinnati, OH and graduated from Yale University with a degree in molecular biophysics & biochemistry. Outside of work he proudly serves on the board of the New Haven Diaper Bank and is celebrating his 10th year as head coach of the Yale Water Polo program.

APPLY TODAY!!

Participants must attend at least five of the workshops listed above. 

Sessions will be held from 6pm-8pm at NHS of New Haven. Dinner will be provided. 

Visit our website to apply today! 

The application, as well as $20 registration fee, is due by June 6, 2017!

Meet the Instructor! Maritza Estremera

NHS of New Haven is proud to announce our Inaugural Environmental Leadership Series! 

Learn about the environment and your neighborhood, connect with useful resources and people, and aspire to create your own environmental projects.

This year's workshops are as follows:

June 13, 2017: Climate, Health, and Neighborhoods
June 20, 2017: Home Energy-Efficiency, Going Solar, and Other Renewable Solutions
July 11, 2017: Planning a Project
July 18, 2017: Water in Your Home and Neighborhood
August 1, 2017: Talking Trash, Managing Waste, and Greening Neighborhood Spaces
August 8, 2017: Transportation Matters and Project Showcase

Maritza Estremera will be facilitating our second workshop on "Home Energy Efficiency"!

Maritza Estremera is a program administrator for United Illuminating, Southern Connecticut Gas and Connecticut Natural Gas managing the Home Energy Solutions-Income Eligible program. She currently holds a Masters of Business Administration with a concentration in Leadership from Post University, a Bachelor’s of Science with a concentration in Finance from Post University, and an Associates in Science with a concentration in Marketing from Housatonic Community College.

She has worked with the Utility Companies in the energy conservation realm for the past seven years. She currently serves as a board member on the Bridgeport Regional Business Council and is a graduate of Leadership Greater Bridgeport and Institute of Effective Governance out of New Haven. 

She enjoys spending time with her family, traveling, and reading during her spare time.

APPLY TODAY!!

Participants must attend at least five of the workshops listed above. 

Sessions will be held from 6pm-8pm at NHS of New Haven. Dinner will be provided. 

Visit our website to apply today! 

The application, as well as $20 registration fee, is due by June 6, 2017!

Meet the Instructor! Kendall Barbery!

NHS of New Haven is proud to announce our Inaugural Environmental Leadership Series! 

Learn about the environment and your neighborhood, connect with useful resources and people, and aspire to create your own environmental projects.

This year's workshops are as follows:

June 13, 2017: Climate, Health, and Neighborhoods
June 20, 2017: Home Energy-Efficiency, Going Solar, and Other Renewable Solutions
July 11, 2017: Planning a Project
July 18, 2017: Water in Your Home and Neighborhood
August 1, 2017: Talking Trash, Managing Waste, and Greening Neighborhood Spaces
August 8, 2017: Transportation Matters and Project Showcase

Kendall Barbery will be facilitating our fourth workshop on "Water in Your Home"!

Kendall works to restore Long Island Sound by reducing runoff in urban watersheds throughout Connecticut and eastern New York. She facilitates watershed planning efforts and oversees green infrastructure planning, design, and construction as a project manager at Save the Sound—a bi-state program of Connecticut Fund for the Environment. In New Haven, she builds rain gardens and bioswales that reduce stormwater runoff and combined sewer overflows—helping to keep the restore West River for people and wildlife. Kendall holds a Masters of Environmental Science in social ecology and water resources from the Yale School of Forestry and Environmental Studies (2014), and a Bachelor of Fine Arts in studio art, magna cum laude, from James Madison University (2004), and she is an active member of the West River Watershed Coalition.

APPLY TODAY!!

Participants must attend at least five of the workshops listed above. 

Sessions will be held from 6pm-8pm at NHS of New Haven. Dinner will be provided. 

Visit our website to apply today! 

The application, as well as $20 registration fee, is due by June 6, 2017!

CT Marches for the Climate

MEDIA ADVISORY

April 17, 2017

Contact: John Humphries – 860-216-7972 (cell); john.humphries1664@gmail.com

CT Marches for the Climate

Senators Richard Blumenthal & Chris Murphy

join with CT Labor, Religious & Environmental Groups to Promote March for Science & People’s Climate March

Tuesday, April 18 @ 11:00am

Common Ground High School (358 Springside Ave.)

New Haven

Senators join CT Roundtable on Climate and Jobs

in speaking against Trump Administration’s policies; highlight local efforts 

As the Trump Administration seeks to roll back decades of progress on environmental and climate protection, local and state initiatives in CT continue to advance a shift toward a clean energy economy that creates local jobs while reducing greenhouse gas emissions and creating healthier, more resilient communities.

The 4/18 press event will highlight:

• Sat, April 22 - Earth Day events, including the “March for Science” in Hartford and New Haven, along with New Haven’s “Rock to Rock” fundraising bike ride; and
• Sat, April 29 - People’s Climate March buses that will transport CT residents to the national march in DC from points all across the state

Speakers will include:

• John Harrity, President, CT State Council of Machinists
• Mustafa Salahuddin, President, ATU Local 1336 (bus drivers’ union in Bridgeport)
• Pam Arifian, Director, United Church of Christ Northeast Environmental Justice Center at Silver Lake Conference Center, in Sharon CT; and a board member of the Interreligious Eco-Justice Network
• Tyra deBoise, youth leader at Dixwell Avenue Congregational Church
• Anna Ruth Pickett, Development & Outreach Manager, Urban Resources Initiative
• Giovanni Zinn, City Engineer, City of New Haven

Launched in June 2012, the Connecticut Roundtable on Climate and Jobs is an innovative partnership between the Interreligious Eco-Justice Network (IREJN) and the CT AFL-CIO that seeks to strengthen collaboration among Connecticut’s labor, environmental, and religious groups in advocating for public policies that address urgent concerns about climate change while creating good-paying jobs for Connecticut’s workers.

###

Looking for That Perfect Last Minute Gift?

Check Everyone Off Your List This 

Holiday Season! 

Our Winter Garden Workshops* are the perfect gift for the gardener (or wannabe gardener) in your life! 

Advanced Master Gardener, Rachel Ziesk, will teach classes that will help attendees prepare their garden for the upcoming spring season.

Each individual workshop costs just $20. OR pick up the entire series for $100! 

Soil & Season Extenders -- Saturday, January 28^th, 2017

The most important component for a successful garden is soil health. Learn how to make and keep your soil healthy, as well as how to use row covers and other techniques to extend your growing season.

Cool Weather Crops -- Saturday, February 11^th, 2017

Learn about starting your garden as soon as the snow is gone! Cool weather crops don’t mind the cold and give you a head start on the season. This class covers how to plant cold weather crops and manage the pests and diseases that plague them.

Warm Weather Crops -- Saturday, February 25^th, 2017

Everything you need to know about warm weather crops! Learn about how to make the best out of your growing season including which crops are best started indoors, what can be directly seeded into the ground and what conditions each crop prefers. This class also covers which fertilizers are best as well as common pests and diseases affecting warm weather crops.

Seed Starting & Garden Planning -- Saturday, March 4^th, 2017

Start your own seedlings! This class explores how and when to start planting indoors. Learn about using lights, watering and identifying common problems with seed starting. The class also covers planning your garden so you get the most out of your gardening space. Everyone attending will get to plant a six pack of seedlings to take home with them.

Essential Flowers & Herbs for Vegetable Gardening -- Saturday, March 11^th, 2017

Flowers and Herbs attract pollinators and beneficial insects to help keep your garden productive and healthy. Learn about the best flowers and herbs for your garden. This class will also identify some edible weeds and tell you what you need to know in order to protect your garden from invasive ones.

Preserving your Garden Harvest -- Saturday, March 25^th, 2017

Learn how you can eat from your garden all winter long. Simple methods can save your harvest for winter use. The class will cover techniques that you’ll need to know for freezing, canning, dehydrating, pickling and more.

 

For more information on each class, or to register for the series, visit: www.nhswintergarden2017.eventbrite.com

 

*This Program is a cooperative effort of NHS of New Haven, Common Ground, UConn Extension, the Connecticut Department of Agriculture, and the Risk Management Agency/USDA. These institutions are equal opportunity employers and providers.

Paying for Solar: Tips for Financing a Residential System

This article was originally posted on NeighborWorks America's website. NHS of New Haven is chartered member of the NeighborWorks network.

Paying for solar: tips for financing a residential system

Elaine Ulrich, program manager, Department of Energy | 7/28/2016 11:08:57 AM

Editor's note: Just like a renovated kitchen increases a home’s value, solar can do the same. The U.S. Department of Energy SunShot Initiative’s spotlight on solar and real estate highlights a variety of resources on the subject, including this blog post with useful information for anyone who is considering residential solar or is counseling someone who is. There also is information specific to homebuilders.

After you’ve made the decision to go solar, the next step is figuring out how to pay for it. Assuming you don’t have the cash to buy your solar energy system upfront, like the vast majority of Americans, there are a variety of financing options to help you hitch onto the solar bandwagon and start increasing the value of your home.

The simplest way to get capital to go solar is through a loan, which can save you anywhere from 40% to 70 percent over the lifetime of your solar panels. These loans are similar to most home improvement loans used to complete upgrades or renovations, such as finishing a basement or re-doing your kitchen. A variety of sources offer loans, including banks and solar installers.

HomeStyle Fannie Mae mortgage

A new type of loan is making solar energy accessible to even more people. Fannie Mae’s HomeStyle® Energy mortgage gives borrowers the ability to complete clean energy upgrades up to 15 percent of the as-completed appraised property value of the home. Borrowers are able to finance energy-efficient upgrades when purchasing or refinancing a home, eliminating the need for a subordinate lien, home equity line of credit, Property Assessed Clean Energy (PACE) loan, or unsecured loan. The mortgage requires homeowners to attain a home energy report in order to show the value gained through energy savings over time is greater than the installation price tag. The HomeStyle Energy mortgage changes the solar loan landscape. It will encourage solar installation companies to revisit their loan practices, allowing for more competition within the industry and reducing soft costs—such as permitting and installation—for consumers. People buying homes or refinancing mortgages now can have the cost of a solar array wrapped into their mortgages without worrying about higher interest rates.

Regardless of the type of loan you secure, the solar on your roof is going to add value to your home. A recent study found that home buyers across the country have been willing to pay a premium of about $15,000 for a home with an average-sized solar array. Another study found homes with solar panels sell faster than those without.

Other options

If you’re unable to secure a loan to purchase a solar energy system, you still have other options. You can obtain a third-party owned system through a lease or power purchase agreement (PPA) offered by some solar installers, whereby the installer owns and maintains your system. Solar leases require consumers to pay a fixed monthly payment that is calculated by assessing the amount of electricity the system is expected to produce. With solar PPAs, consumers buy the electricity generated by their rooftop system back from the installer at a set rate per kilowatt-hour. Although these arrangements are often offered with no money down, consumers don’t benefit from the rebates, tax breaks, and other incentives available to system owners. When the time comes to sell one of these homes, data shows that even though third-party owned systems add some complexity to the real estate transaction, the overall impacts are mostly neutral.

Financing is a big part of going solar, and several SunShot Initiative awardees are working to lower these costs. Incubator awardee Sungage Financial created a marketplace that provides homeowners with easy, online access to low-cost financing for solar equipment. Pilot programs in the Northeast have helped the company understand how to meet the needs of consumers, installers, and capital providers in order to successfully and efficiently deliver financing solutions. Additionally, work under kWh Analytics’ Incubator award uses data analytics to help investors understand the perceived technical and financial risks associated with solar, which will build investor confidence and enable more capital to enter the market for residential systems.

Consumers have a lot to consider when it comes to solar financing, but the end result is worth it: cleaner, more affordable energy that has the potential to greatly increase your home’s value.


The U.S. Department of Energy SunShot Initiative is a collaborative national effort formed to aggressively drives innovation to make solar energy fully cost-competitive with traditional energy sources before the end of the decade. Through SunShot, the Energy Department supports efforts by private companies, universities and national laboratories to drive down the cost of solar electricity to $0.06 per kilowatt hour. Learn more at energy.gov/sunshot.