Inside HOME's Project

With some big-name support, sustainability comes to North Philly.

by Patrick Temple-West

The houses are being built by rock 'n' roll, but they feature enough eco-friendly amenities to humble Captain Planet. Between the 1800 and 1900 blocks of North 23rd Street, Project HOME is turning 15 deteriorating relics of an abandoned and forgotten North Philadelphia neighborhood into affordable housing for low-income families.

GLOBAL TRANSFORMATION INITIATIVE: Having melded affordable housing with an environmental conscience, Project HOME expects its 15 new properties to open for families this summer. Photo By: Michael T. Regan (CLICK IMAGE FOR LARGER VERSION)

In October, the site hosted a high-profile press conference featuring both former President Bill Clinton and Jon Bon Jovi, who, speaking on behalf of a diverse group of civic and business-community sponsors, touted Project HOME's eco-conscious plans.

"It was a great moment in North Philadelphia," recounts Sister Mary Scullion, executive director and co-founder of Project HOME, a nonprofit organization dedicated to ending chronic homelessness."Bon Jovi's commitment to eco-friendly housing and next-stage homeownership has definitely drawn more enthusiasm for developing political will for the homeless."

In the months since, housing project manager Jill Roberts has taken up the environmental crusade in a pocket of town most would rather avoid. From carpets made out of recycled soda bottles to Energy Star appliances, their aim is to make this project the leading example of environmentally conscious development. The homes, expected to open in June depending on the weather, were available for families who met a specific minimum income level and are completing Project HOME's application process.

"We've always tried within the limits of the financing to work in environmentally friendly features," said Roberts, noting that the initiative gained strength as contributors stepped forward. (Saturn joined with the Philadelphia Soul's Charitable Foundation to donate $450,000.)

Each house will cost three times the market selling price to build, so the partners added an additional $118,000 to finance "greening options" like bamboo floors, Energy Star appliances and cool roofs, among other attributes.

The fight to conserve energy will be fought on two fronts: heating in the winter and air conditioning in the summer. Both the heating and air-conditioning units will be Energy Star-rated, as well as the dishwashers and refrigerators; this means they use less energy than conventional units. Each house will also have a vestibule to keep warm air from escaping out the front door; high-density insulation will protect the houses from drafts.

Finally, to guard against the summer heat, the houses will have cool roofs, which are, by far, the most elaborate and futuristic aspect of the eco-arsenal. Shipped in from the manufacturer in California, these systems combine insulation with white, elastomeric paint to deflect the sun's heat. That means the roofs can potentially lower the houses' internal temperature by 5 to 8 degrees. (The materials cost between 75 cents and $1.50 for each square foot and add $2,000 to the cost of each house.)

Project HOME and its contributors willingly paid the price for the homeowners' long-term savings on air-conditioning bills. It's this strategy — spending now to save later — that makes sense not just for the environment, but for the wallet. Roberts estimates that the combined energy-saving efforts can reduce heat and air-conditioning costs by 30 percent.

"We're not just building affordable housing, but sustainable housing for someone who needs sustainable housing," said Roberts.

The sustainability takes a low-tech approach, too, often hidden from view. The linoleum used in the kitchens will be rolled out, rather than cut and pasted onto the floor, so that less glue is used. And wood will be used in the framing for the houses because it requires less energy to make than plastic or metal, which are traditionally applied. To install these features, Roberts said that a little arm-twisting was needed to stretch the builders beyond their comfort zones; the project's contractor originally did not plan to install the cool roofs.

"I asked [the contractor] to check with their roofing guy to see what was available," Roberts said. After a search, the contractor found the systems that can work for these homes. "The tide is changing. All of us are raising the bar in terms of sustainability."

Today, the homes' three-story original structures, built in the 1890s, are being gutted down to their brick frames. Most will remain three- to four-bedroom row homes, but some will be split into twins. This makes the houses smaller than they were originally, but Roberts sees it as less space to heat and cool. For applicants waiting to move in, the prospect of owning their own home is overwhelming.

"Words can't describe how I feel," said Lynne Collins, one of 15 successful applicants who will move into one of the homes. "It's an opportunity to become part of a community and, for me, an opportunity to fight for others to share this."

Once homeless, Collins works in Project HOME's outreach department, teaching people how to be successful applicants for a house. To obtain one of the homes, applicants first sought out Project HOME and were interviewed. These applicants, like all applicants Project HOME assists, were first-time homebuyers and met the family-income requirements (gross income of between $18,025 and $51,700 or a family of four). They also needed to achieve a minimum credit score. Many applicants have too much debt, which hampers their ability to qualify for mortgages. The process requires applicants to obtain their own traditional mortgage, not subsidized by Project HOME. To help the applicants climb out of debt, Project HOME offers debt repair and financial planning classes with the help of PNC Bank.

But the idea of sustainability and environmental consciousness is not lost in the process. The applicants meet once a month as part of a homebuyers club. These meetings address financial planning but also have a sustainability component to remind the applicants to keep an environmental awareness once they move in.

"Everybody's got to do something," said Roberts. "It takes a little work, but the awareness [about the environment] today is more prevalent than it was five years ago."

(editorial@citypaper.net)