NHT Reports on Community Sustainability Efforts for ACEEE

NHT had a big presence at ACEEE’s Summer Study on Energy Efficiency in Buildings this year, presenting on two separate publications that demonstrate how champions of environmental policies can work to ensure that low-income communities are no longer disproportionately burdened by the effects of climate change. We know that climate change affects everyone, but its impacts are not equitably distributed nor equally felt. Rather, the harmful effects of climate change are seen most in the communities who contribute the least to its cause—low income and disadvantaged communities. As a national leader in advancing equitable climate benefits, NHT enables all people to enjoy the health, economic, and environmental advantages of resilient and sustainable homes. Our work at Summer Study underscores the opportunities for climate activists to ensure that low-income renters are not left behind in the push to create healthier and more sustainable buildings:  

• Authored by NHT and  DC Department of Energy and Environment (DOEE), “Power on the Block: Empowering Residents to Impact Community Change through Electrification and Decarbonization” summarizes our equitable electrification community engagement pilot which ensures resident voices are incorporated into the planning and implementation of new electrification policies and programs in DC. This community engagement model, which includes community-wide events, small group discussions, and Community Based Organization (CBO) partnerships at two NHT-owned multifamily affordable housing communities, sheds light on how local governments, in partnership with affordable housing providers, can build long-term relationships with under-resourced communities and CBOs to develop decarbonization policy that centers residents’ lived experience and promotes equitable outcomes.  
   
• Authored solely by NHT staff, “Reducing Carbon Emissions and Creating Housing Stability in the Low-Income Housing Tax Credit Program” uncovers approaches to reducing emissions and creating more sustainable, resilient, and healthier affordable homes through the Low Income Housing Tax Credit (Housing Credit) program. By analyzing 53 Qualified Allocation Plans (QAPs), NHT was able to identify trends, best practices, and emerging approaches to reducing emissions in the Housing Credit program by integrating electrification, renewable energy, and whole-building energy performance.  Along with best practices for engaging Housing Finance Agencies, we provide advocates with the tools they need to advance equitable climate benefits that enable all people to enjoy the health, economic, and environmental advantages of resilient and sustainable homes.   

Together, these papers create a playbook for climate activists and others to ensure low-income renters do not continue to be disproportionately affected by climate change. As a result of the 2022 passage of the Inflation Reduction Act, investing in creating more sustainable, resilient, and healthier affordable rental homes is now more feasible than ever: grants, loans, tax incentives, and other resources are available to make direct investments in more climate resilient housing that serves the needs of low-income communities. Only by engaging affordable housing residents and adopting climate-friendly policies in the programs designed to serve these communities can we truly address the climate crisis and advance equitable climate benefits.