HomeAid Atlanta and Walmart Complete Green Retrofit To Help Decatur Cooperative Ministry Save Energy and Money
Project made possible through $600 thousand grant from the Walmart Foundation DECATUR, GA - JULY 12, 2011 - On July 18, HomeAid Atlanta, a nonprofit organization that builds housing for the homeless, will begin an energy efficiency retrofit at a Decatur home operated by Decatur Cooperative Ministry (DCM), a nonprofit organization serving homeless families in the Decatur/DeKalb area. The project is the first of its kind as part of a new national Environmental Sustainability Program recently launched by HomeAid Atlanta's parent organization, HomeAid America, and funded by a grant from the Walmart Foundation. HomeAid Atlanta has partnered with WellHome, an affiliate of Masco Home Services, to complete the green, energy saving upgrades at the home. An earlier energy audit conducted by WellHome revealed areas where the home's energy efficiency could be improved. The scope of work for this project includes air sealing and insulating the attic and crawl space, adding a radiant barrier to the roof rafters, duct tightening, adding energy efficient lighting, and sealing roof penetrations. In addition, GE Appliances and Lighting is providing new, more efficient appliances. It is estimated that these improvements will reduce the home's energy use by at least 40 percent, allowing DCM to focus more of their funding on direct client services, like counseling, job training and financial education. "We are excited to begin HomeAid's first Environmental Sustainability project, and thankful for the opportunity to assist Decatur Cooperative Ministry through this green initiative," notes Dan O'Dwyer, president of HomeAid Atlanta. "In today's economy, it's more important now than ever before that organizations like DCM save as much as possible on operating costs, like utility bills, so that they can concentrate their resources on serving families in need in our community." HomeAid Atlanta has a long-standing relationship with DCM, originally partnering with the organization in 2004 to renovate two homes for their Family House transitional program, one of which is the home now being retrofitted through the Environmental Sustainability Program. HomeAid also assisted the organization in 2008 with the renovation of another transitional home in Decatur that serves homeless families. The introduction of the Environmental Sustainability Program was made possible through a grant received by HomeAid America from the Walmart Foundation. The purpose of the program is to enable HomeAid chapters across the country to retrofit existing facilities serving the homeless with energy efficient upgrades, allowing the service providers operating those facilities to increase their service delivery capacity to their clients by reducing their operating costs for energy. About HomeAid Atlanta: Founded in 2001, HomeAid Atlanta is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization working in partnership with the Greater Atlanta Home Builders Association, and is a local chapter of HomeAid America, a leading national provider of transitional housing for the temporarily homeless. The HomeAid mission is to build and maintain dignified housing where homeless families and individuals can rebuild their lives. HomeAid acts as the housing developer and liaison between homeless service providers, builders, trade partners and community volunteers. To date, HomeAid Atlanta has completed 16 housing developments that serve the temporarily homeless, including victims of domestic violence, teen mothers, abused and abandoned children, and homeless families. For more information about HomeAid Atlanta, visit www.homeaidatlanta.org. About HomeAid America: HomeAid is a leading national non-profit provider of housing for homeless families and individuals. Through the generosity of builders, their trades and their suppliers, HomeAid has completed 250 housing projects nationwide at a cost of more than $171 million, of which nearly fifty percent has been donated by the building industry. HomeAid currently has 29 additional projects in development. HomeAid's facilities offer 1,800,000 bed-nights annually through HomeAid's network of 19 active chapters in 13 states. For more information about HomeAid, call 1-888-3HOMEAID or visit www.homeaid.org.
About Decatur Cooperative Ministry: Decatur Cooperative Ministry (DCM) alleviates and prevents homelessness, particularly among families. DCM was founded in 1969 and has been actively involved in serving the Decatur/DeKalb area ever since. The organization operates a transitional housing program for homeless families as well as an emergency shelter for women with children. Additionally, DCM works to prevent homelessness by providing assistance with rent, mortgage, utilities, and food. DCM provides families participating in its programs with personal growth and development opportunities such as financial management education, computer training, and support groups. DCM also offers worship, educational, and volunteer opportunities to individuals and groups from the local community and beyond. For more information, visit www.decaturcooperativeministry.org. About WellHome: Focusing exclusively on improvements for existing residential homes, WellHome is a business of Masco Home Services, Inc. WellHome offers all-in-one service to improve home energy efficiency and comfort. WellHome Building Performance Institute (BPI)-certified advisors start by providing home performance assessments to owners of existing homes. Advisors then offer improvement recommendations and implementation, and assistance in identifying rebates and incentives. WellHome launched in 2009 under the Masco Home Services name and launched the WellHome brand in the spring of 2010. For more information about WellHome, visit www.wellhome.com. CONTACT: Haley Livingston, HomeAid Atlanta 678.775.1401, haley_homeaid@atlantahomebuilders.com ###
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