Eden News, Eden Updates, Media Alerts
Eden Housing and TNDC receive $575K Wells Fargo grant to help retrofit affordable housing, support climate resilience and lower emissions
September 12, 2023
Grant will support work in sustainable affordable housing for vulnerable communities of color
Eden Housing and Tenderloin Neighborhood Development Corporation (TNDC), two leading affordable housing nonprofits, are honored to be recipients of a $575,000 Wells Fargo Foundation grant to support their work “greening” affordable housing in San Francisco and throughout the state.
It’s imperative that industry leaders take measures to mitigate their impact on climate change. According to the International Energy Agency Global Status Report, around 36% of global energy use and 39% of energy-related carbon dioxide emissions are accountable to the global buildings and construction sector.
Wells Fargo’s grant to Eden Housing and TNDC will help both organizations make considerable strides in creating sustainable affordable housing within their existing housing stock and promoting energy efficiency measures. It will enable Eden Housing to conduct energy audits at 25 of their aging affordable housing sites across the state, resulting in the eventual retrofit of 3,588 units and a reduction of 8,902 metric tons of CO2 emissions across their portfolio.
TNDC will retrofit three affordable housing buildings totaling 177 units in the Tenderloin and the Haight-Ashbury neighborhoods by installing energy efficient electric heating pumps. The sites are 165 Turk Street, Buena Vista Terrace (1250 Haight St.), and 990 Polk Street. The new pumps will operate on 100% carbon-free electricity; these include central heat pumps for domestic hot water (DHW) and recirculation pumps to improve the distribution of hot water.
Cities and counties are adopting new regulations and standards for energy usage, water usage, and waste diversion that will change the way affordable housing developers approach their work. Ultimately, these new policies will also benefit California’s most vulnerable residents by helping to reduce CO2 emissions, utility expenses and creating more resilient communities. These new regulations necessitate retrofits of old buildings, but little has been shared to help guide housing developers in terms of realistic methodologies or support for adapting existing buildings.
“This generous investment will help scale up the work California is doing to uplift vulnerable and under resourced communities—building climate-friendly, transit-oriented, affordable housing that connects all Californians to opportunity,” said California Department of Housing and Community Development Director Gustavo Velasquez. “I’m thrilled that Wells Fargo shares our vision for both developing new housing and making the needed improvements to keep existing housing livable and affordable for the foreseeable future.”
Both Eden Housing and TNDC are part of a handful of nonprofit organizations committed to reducing their greenhouse gas emissions across their U.S. building portfolio by 50% over the next 10 years. This commitment is part of the organization’s dedication to the U.S. Department of Energy’s Better Climate Challenge.
“Climate change has significant implications for communities of color, which often bear a disproportionate burden of its negative impacts,” said Maurilio León, TNDC’s chief executive officer. “This is due to a combination of social, economic, and environmental factors. In collaboration with Wells Fargo, we are leading with solutions and centering communities of color as benefactors for green retrofits.”
In addition, Eden Housing also participates in the Solar on Multifamily Affordable Housing (SOMAH) program, an initiative that provides incentives for installing solar panel systems that benefit low-income tenants and property owners in California. Eden Housing currently has SOMAH-funded solar power systems installed or planned at 19 sites, which together generate more than $1.2 million in first year savings for the nonprofit and its residents.
“Addressing the pressing need for sustainable affordable housing requires a commitment to innovation and creative partnerships,” said Linda Mandolini, president and chief executive officer of Eden Housing. “We’re beyond grateful for Wells Fargo’s support and their willingness to offer collaborative solutions to the climate change crisis.”
“Wells Fargo’s sustainability efforts include a designated impact area of housing access and affordability, with a focus on vulnerable communities’ access to the opportunities associated with a transition to a low-carbon economy,” said Robyn Luhning, chief sustainability officer at Wells Fargo. “Through our collaboration with Eden Housing and TNDC, Wells Fargo is supporting sustainable affordable housing and helping to build climate resiliency for our communities and customers.”
ABOUT TNDC
Everyone deserves to thrive. Since 1981, TNDC has supported residents and community members in building transformative communities by providing affordable homes with supportive services, wellness opportunities, and community advocacy. Over the course of 41 years, we’ve innovated supportive housing practices with onsite social workers and wellness programming that meet unique community needs and foster cultural inclusion and belonging. Today, over 6,300 people are housed across our 45 buildings and in a few years, we will reach over 10,000 people. Rooted in the Tenderloin with branches across seven San Francisco neighborhoods and growing, TNDC strives to work alongside communities and meet people where they’re at. We believe that only together we can build a future with economic and racial equity. Join us at www.tndc.org.
ABOUT EDEN HOUSING
Eden Housing is a non-profit organization with 55 years of experience providing safe and affordable housing that helps families stay secure, allows communities to thrive, and solves many of the most pressing housing challenges facing California cities. Since its inception, the Bay Area-based organization has developed more than 10,000 affordable homes and is a leader in making its residential communities environmentally sustainable and efficient through integrating energy conservation. Eden is also known as a champion of housing policy advocacy at the local, state, and national level, supporting practices that both create and preserve affordable housing for diverse communities. Learn more at www.edenhousing.org.
Media Contact:
TNDC
Maurilio León
mleon@tndc.org (415) 358 3923
Eden Housing
Birgit Johnston
birgitjohnston@me.com (408) 656 8025
Wells Fargo
Edith Robles
edith.r.robles@wellsfargo.com (415) 613-9119