Washington Business Journal: D.C. nonprofits to upgrade air quality in 700 multifamily homes
More than 700 multifamily units across six properties in Anacostia and Mount Vernon Square will receive $20 million worth upgrades to improve air quality with help from the National Housing Trust and D.C. Children’s Law Center, writes Auzinea Bacon of the Washington Business Journal.
The Environmental Protection Agency awarded the two nonprofits a community change grant Thursday as part of the National Housing Trust’s Healthy, Green and Affordable Housing Program. The program, established in 2023 by the Inflation Reduction Act, aims to lessen the risk of asthma triggers and other respiratory illnesses through new appliances and building repairs.
The nonprofits will use the grant to replace gas appliances including furnaces, stoves and water heaters in the units with electric versions, said Leslie Zarker, director of sustainability policy at the National Housing Trust, wrote in an email. Other upgrades will include fixing water leaks that cause mold, replacing carpet and upgrading HVAC and insulation, she said.
The nonprofits will identify contractors, oversee installations and inform residents of design and development plans, she said. Initial funding came from JPMorgan Chase, which invested $3 million into the project in 2023, estimating residents $1,200 a month after upgrades. With the EPA’s grant, the nonprofits will have three years to finish the project.
They are using Children National Hospital’s housing map to identify properties that have high rates of children with asthma, Zarker said. The map was created by Impact D.C., Children’s Law Center and Yachad, which repairs D.C. homes, to identify multifamily buildings with many asthma-related children’s emergency care visits.
The map includes the Washington View Apartments, which was sold in 2023 to an LLC managed by NHT Communities, the affordable housing affiliate of National Housing Trust, which is led by Priya Jayahhandran.
The two nonprofits are also partnering with the Children’s National Hospital, Vermont Energy Investment Corp. and the Latino Economic Development Center.
“When one of those families lives in a multifamily building, we know that dozens of their neighbors are facing the same issues: building-wide water intrusion, mold behind their walls, poor ventilation, mice moving from one apartment to the next,” Judith Sandalow, executive director of D.C. Children’s Law Center, said in a statement.