The Power Forward Communities coalition – led by Enterprise Community Partners, Rewiring America, Habitat for Humanity International, the Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC), and United Way Worldwide – is purpose-built to transform the housing sector, save homeowners and renters money, invest in stronger communities, and help meet national climate goals.
These five organizations will collectively harness decades of experience and nationwide reach to deploy a unique combination of financing, market building, and community engagement strategies from big cities to small towns to rural and Tribal regions and everywhere in between. These efforts are expected to save families money on their utility bills, reduce emissions, and create healthier, safer, more affordable homes.
Power Forward Communities’ strategy to decarbonize housing focuses on four key principles:
1. Reduce friction: Right now, homeowners and housing providers must navigate a complex web of regulations, incentives, tax credits, and systems. Power Forward Communities’ goal is to simplify the process and experience of household decarbonization with online tools, community-level assistance, and market partnerships.
2. Aggregate consumer demand: Working with communities, contractors, and local governments, Power Forward Communities will bundle opportunities to create market leverage that benefits consumers, reducing remaining costs by as much as 50 percent.
3. Create affordable financing solutions: Power Forward Communities will deploy NCIF funds as below-market-rate lending products to help close the gap between decarbonization costs and existing incentives.
4. Create a more equitable future: The coalition will invest in workforce development to create local, high-paying jobs and work with private investors and philanthropies to attract additional resources to improve and decarbonize even more American homes over the long term.
Power Forward Communities will this fall be announcing our first projects.