News: JCF Adds the Housing Partnership Network to Its Communities-First Coalition

JCF Adds the Housing Partnership Network to Its Communities-First CoalitionPartnership with Affordable Housing Practitioners Bolsters JCF Bid for EPA Climate Change Grants(Washington, DC/October 4, 2023) — The Justice Climate Fund (JCF), a nonprofit that represents a broad coalition of diverse communities of color, today announced the Housing Partnership Network (HPN) as its newest partner. The partnership bolsters the forthcoming JCF application to ensure those who have been left behind and are most impacted by climate change benefit from the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) National Clean Investment Fund (NCIF) competitive grant program. “The justice we seek starts in the homes of the communities we serve,” said Douglass Sims, interim JCF CEO. “The connection between environmental justice and housing is multifaceted, with housing location, quality and affordability playing pivotal roles in determining a community’s exposure to environmental hazards and its overall well-being. We welcome HPN to our coalition and are grateful to have their unmatched advocacy for affordable housing in our coalition.”Mr. Sims explained that sustainable housing practices, such as energy-efficient construction and transportation infrastructure, can reduce environmental impacts and contribute to long-term environmental sustainability. He added that connecting HPN’s peer-to-peer learning exchanges and innovative practices with environmental justice ensures that JCF’s collaborative efforts will benefit all communities.HPN is an award-winning business collaborative of over 100 leading affordable housing and community development organizations, which are composed of developers, lenders, owners and other practitioners. They all work together to share best practices, develop financing products and programs, and co-create social enterprises that address the sector’s most pressing needs. Specifically, its Housing Sustainability Collaborative is co-designing green financing tools and technical support to ensure community development financial institutions effectively deliver capital resources to qualified projects.“We see, every day, how climate change disproportionately affects communities with persistent poverty and those with long histories of racial discrimination,” said Robin Hughes, HPN President and CEO. “By positioning affordable housing at the leading edge of climate solutions, we have the chance to make our communities healthier and more resilient, while also fueling equity and opportunity for millions of people,” she added. Currently, households with low incomes experience a three times higher energy burden than higher income households. Residential and community solar, energy efficiency upgrades and other clean energy technology investments are important to ease financial costs of underserved communities.Under the NCIF program, the EPA will award up to $14 billion to support initiatives to reduce pollution by increasing investment in smaller scale renewable energy, clean transportation and energy smart buildings, while creating jobs and growing local businesses, particularly in disadvantaged communities. The JCF is also applying to the EPA’s Clean Communities Investment Accelerator (CCIA) program. About the Justice Climate Fund The Justice Climate Fund is a nonprofit that provides capital, leverages resources and supports zero-emission technologies in underserved communities across the country. JCF is founded by the Community Builders of Color Coalition and led by a Board that includes the African American Alliance of CDFI CEOs, the National Association for Latino Community Asset Builders, Inclusiv, National Bankers Association, Oweesta Corporation, Opportunity Finance Network (OFN), and the Community Development Bankers Association. They have come together to ensure that all communities equitably benefit from the GGRF. Visit www.justiceclimatefund.org I LinkedIn: /company/justiceclimatefund I X: /JusticeClim8 I Facebook: /justiceclimatefund I Instagram: /justiceclimatefundPress Contact strongertogether@justiceclimatefund.org (202) 987-3770About the Housing Partnership Network Housing Partnership Network (HPN) is an award-winning business collaborative of over 100 of the nation’s leading affordable housing and community development nonprofits, as well as an Aeris-rated CDFI and HUD-approved housing counseling intermediary. Members include nonprofit affordable housing developers and owners, housing counseling agencies, CDFIs, and public housing authorities. Members work in all 50 states plus DC and Puerto Rico, in urban and rural communities, and across all housing asset classes. Learn more at housingpartnership.net | LinkedIn: company/housing-partnership-network | YouTube: @Housing_Partnership_NetworkPress Contact wohl@housingpartnership.net 617-259-1832