People United for Sustainable Housing, also known as
PUSH-Buffalo, has received a grant for $600,000 to weatherize approximately 100
homes throughout the West Side and other areas around the city.
New York State
Homes and Community Renewal, a state agency partnering to improve and preserve
homes and communities, funded the grant. The funds will support PUSH Green, a
non-profit weatherization and energy efficiency program, founded by PUSH
Buffalo this year.
PUSH Green
plans on beginning the weatherization projects next summer in collaboration
with New Buffalo Impact, a non-profit contractor dedicated to weatherizing
homes in order to produce energy savings.
The homes
that qualify for the grants are ones that have already qualified for the Home
Energy Assistance Program, also known as HEAP.
“If the
people have more energy efficient homes, then their heating and gas bills will
not be as high,” said Lonnie Barlow, communications assistant at PUSH Buffalo.
“Our hope is that these homeowners will not need as much assistance from
organizations such as HEAP.”
PUSH Green also plans on training people from high
unemployment areas who are willing to weatherize the homes.
“We not
only want to create more energy efficient homes, but get the people from the
community involved with the hope that they will retain certain trade skills for
further employment opportunities,” Barlow said. By Chanice Johnson and Jennine Taberski
