Renters in affordable housing felt forgotten and left out of the nation's transition to clean energy. They lived in older buildings that had been repaired over the years but had leaky windows and old appliances that consumed a lot of energy. They didn't have solar power.
That was the feedback Adrianne Todman got while traveling to housing sites as the head of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.
She told renters and property owners things were going to change, and on Tuesday that change hits a milepost HUD is announcing the last 30 million of more than 1 billion spent to modernize and fix older buildings for thousands of low-income renters nationwide.
The aim is to make the homes more comfortable as they release less carbon pollution. The retrofits also allow them to better withstand extreme weather, preserving needed affordable housing units.
The money was disbursed nationwide over the past year. Building owners are using it to add energy efficient windows, heaters and air conditioners, electric vehicle charging stations, floodproofing, roofs that don't get as hot, and solar panels with batteries. Eligibility includes units where the federal government subsidizes rent for low income households, seniors and people with disabilities.
