Press Release: Rural Development, Inc. Home Ownership
Program
“Green” Homes for Low-income
Families - Rural Development, Inc. Receives Grant
Turners Falls, MA, September 22, 2005
– For many low-income families, owning an environmentally
friendly healthy home can seem impossible. Rural Development,
Inc. (RDI), a nonprofit housing developer, strives to solve
this problem for low-income families in the region through
programs specifically tailored to their needs. The Housing
Assistance Council and the Home Depot Foundation are excited
to announce their support for the work of RDI in the form
of a $15,000 grant to the Home Ownership Program. It will
enable RDI to continue to make healthier homes affordable
for low-income families.
“The Green Building/Healthy Homes Grant is part
of a comprehensive program to support “greener”
approaches to affordable rural housing development in rural
America,” explained Moises Loza, Executive Director
of the Housing Assistance Council. He added, “We salute
RDI for not only striving to make homeownership a reality
for low-income folks but also for pioneering the movement
for environmentally sustainable living spaces.”
“The Healthy Home movement is experiencing a ground
swell around the country and for nonprofit housing developers,
it means producing housing for families they serve that
is more affordable, healthier, efficient and durable, ”
said Kelly Caffarelli, Executive Director of The Home Depot
Foundation.
Green building is an approach to rehabilitation and new
construction that conserves resources. Green buildings are
constructed to ensure that they are healthy for their occupants,
easier to operate financially, and environmentally friendly.
The public can visit two RDI homes during the NESEA Green
Buildings Tour on Saturday, October 1, from 10 AM to 4 PM.
These houses are at 54 River Street in Bernardston and at
589 Barton road in Greenfield.
About the Rural Development, Inc. Home Ownership Program:
RDI has built over eighty houses for homebuyers with low
income in Franklin County, Massachusetts, since its founding
in 1993. In 2001 the program began building all energy efficient
Energy Star homes, expanding in 2004 to include solar electric
generation in some homes. Plans call for RDI to use the
$15,000 grant to expand the use of sustainable building
materials in the “Affordable Green Homes” program.
RDI also seeks to expand its recycling of construction waste
and to increase the sustainability of land use. See www.ruraldevelopmentinc.org
for more information.
About The Housing Assistance Council:
A national nonprofit corporation headquartered in Washington,
D.C., and founded in 1971, the Housing Assistance Council
publishes numerous reports, program manuals, and other materials
on rural housing topics. HAC helps local organizations make
affordable homes available in rural America by providing
below-market financing, technical assistance, research,
training, and information services. HAC’s programs
focus on local solutions, empowerment of the poor, reduced
dependency, and self-help strategies. HAC is an equal opportunity
lender. Visit www.ruralhome.org for more information.
About The Home Depot Foundation:
The Home Depot Foundation invests in nonprofit organizations
that are in the business of building better communities.
The Home Depot and many of the suppliers who help fill the
company’s shelves contribute to the Home Depot Foundation
to help fulfill their shared vision of creating stronger,
healthier neighborhoods. The Foundation focuses its efforts
in the areas of affordable, efficient and healthy housing
production as well as rehabilitation and tree planting to
restore urban and rural forests. See www.homedepotfoundation.org
for more information.
|
