• DHCD and HHMD Partner in HELP Fund

DHCD and HHMD Partner in HELP Fund

Maryland Department of Housing and Community Development Makes First Be SMART Program Awards to Habitat for Humanity Maryland and Edinburgh House Apartments

Awards include $1 Million subgrant to Habitat; Edinburgh is the first Be SMART multifamily housing project funded

CROWNSVILLE, MD (May 25, 2011) – Maryland Department of Housing and Community Development Secretary Raymond A. Skinner today announced the first awards through the department’s Be SMART program: a $1 million subgrant to launch the Higher Efficiency Loan Program (HELP) partnership with Habitat for Humanity Maryland and a $312,500 loan to assist in the renovation of Edinburgh House Apartments in Takoma Park, Montgomery County, the first Be SMART multifamily housing deal to be funded. Maryland’s Be SMART program was started with a $20 million award from the U.S. Department of Energy and is part of their Better Buildings initiative. The Be SMART (Save Money and Resources Today) initiative includes Be SMART Home, Be SMART Multifamily and Be SMART Business.

“The Be SMART program will provide tremendous benefits to Habitat for Humanity and Edinburgh House Apartments as we provide resources to create a model for energy efficiency improvements across the state,” said Secretary Skinner. “Our partnerships with Montgomery Housing Partnership and Habitat for Humanity Maryland, will allow improvements to homes, businesses and multifamily buildings in more than a dozen targeted communities around the state.”

Habitat for Humanity Maryland works with the state’s 17 regional Habitat for Humanity affiliates and will use the subgrant to establish a revolving loan fund for the Maryland Habitat affiliates. The Habitat for Humanity affiliates will utilize the loan funds for weatherization and energy efficiency improvements in low-income neighborhoods. Through Habitat’s volunteers, gifts in kind and matching funds, the projects will multiply the value of every federal dollar and return the loan to the fund for reuse.

“The HELP partnership allows Habitat for Humanity Maryland to help local affiliates ramp-up their energy efficiency efforts in communities from Western Maryland to the Eastern Shore.” said Susan Devlin, president of the board of Habitat for Humanity Maryland. “ Local Habitats have been working in these Maryland neighborhoods for years, and HELP partnership loans will enable them to improve critical blocks and streets of homes in several ways.”

As part of Be SMART, Habitat’s HELP program loans are available for the purchase and installation of equipment and materials for energy efficiency measures such as ENERGY STAR qualified HVAC systems, insulation, windows, draft stopping and duct sealing, appliances and fixtures, and water heating equipment. These improvements are expected to result in energy savings of 15-30 percent. Such a savings translates into significantly lower energy bills for consumers, more comfortable buildings and reduced consumption of fossil fuels.

Edinburgh House Apartments in Takoma Park is a 10-story high-rise apartment building constructed in the 1960’s and acquired by Montgomery Housing Partnership, a nonprofit organization based in Montgomery County. The loan will be used for energy conservation measures to retrofit the building's 45 units. The Be SMART loan will be combined with funding through the department’s New Issue Bond Program, the Maryland Housing Rehabilitation Program and the Low Income Housing Tax Credit Program to enable a complete, energy efficiency renovation of the property that will result in overall, ongoing energy savings of 15-20 percent.

“Montgomery Housing Partnership has made a corporate commitment to use green and sustainable products in our affordable housing developments. So we’re excited to be part of the Be SMART Program, and look forward to achieving measureable cost savings from the energy efficient upgrades planned for Edinburgh House this summer,” said Robert A. Goldman, president of the Silver-Spring-based nonprofit organization.

The department’s $20 million award comes from the BetterBuildings program of the U.S. Department of Energy and aims to create a self-sustaining building retrofit market. Maryland’s competitive award is part of over $500 million in federal funding awarded to 41 state and local governments and partnering organizations tasked with providing high quality, accessible and affordable energy improvements to homes and businesses across the nation. For more information on the BetterBuildings program, visit www.BetterBuildings.energy.gov.

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The Maryland Department of Housing and Community Development (DHCD) works with partners to promote affordable housing opportunities and revitalize great places for Maryland citizens to live, work and prosper. To learn more about DHCD and its programs, visit www.mdhousing.org.