Planning for Evanston’s Green Homes Pilot began in 2019. Now, the project is finally set to wrap up by the end of summer.
The initiative, which is a partnership between the city, the Center for Neighborhood Technology and nonprofit Elevate, aims to retrofit low- and middle-income homes in Evanston for safety and energy efficiency at no cost to property owners and renters.
Though the project was initially set to finish by the end of 2025, a 30-unit building was added to the slate of buildings to be retrofitted a few months ago, according to CNT director Heidy Persaud.
“The project got extended to the end of the summer, and by the end of this summer, we should have 50 units that have been improved,” Persaud said.
According to Lindsey Wade, Elevate’s project manager, the initiative has saved an estimated 43 metric tons of greenhouse gas emissions, even though only 18 of the 50 total units have been retrofitted so far.
Wade said the program targeted areas of the city that are particularly vulnerable to climate change, and the new 30-unit addition to the project is composed entirely of affordable housing.
“The building had been connected to a utility program that electrifies eligible properties, but they needed assistance fulfilling their gap in funding,” Wade said. “We worked with the City of Evanston and were able to identify some funding to help fill that critical gap.”
The project was funded by the American Rescue Plan Act and the Evanston Sustainability Fund and is part of Evanston’s larger Climate Action and Resilience Plan, which sets a goal for the city to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050.
As ARPA money dwindles, Cara Pratt, the city’s chief sustainability and resilience officer, said the pilot’s continuation will depend on whether the city can receive new types of aid.
Evanston’s sustainability office floated the idea of using part of Northwestern’s Good Neighbor Fund to cover future projects.
“There’s a really long waitlist of people who are interested in this program,” Pratt said. “We’re in a difficult time in that our federal administration does not value this type of project, so for the foreseeable future, we have much less money.”
City officials have touted the savings on utility costs and health benefits that the pilot program has generated.
According to Wade, some of the most enthusiastic feedback from residents and property owners has been in response to simpler changes, such as asbestos and mold removal.
“We have received a lot of positive feedback from our participants,” Wade said. “One of the most touching testimonials that we have received to date shared that their children could enjoy a bubble bath for the very first time after mold had been removed from their bathroom.”
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Related Stories:
— Green Homes Pilot completes retrofit, aims for completion by year’s end
— City hosts Tenant Resource Webinar, talks updates to Residential Landlord and Tenant Ordinance
— After years of opposition, city breaks ground on 33-unit affordable housing project
