In the work my company does—helping families make their homes more energy efficient—I see every day how much housing and energy are tied together. When we talk about affordable housing, we can’t just focus on rent or mortgage payments. True affordability includes the utility bills, the repair costs, and the health impacts that come from living in substandard conditions.
For many lower-income households in our region, monthly utility bills are crushing—often higher than their rent. Drafty windows, poor insulation, outdated HVAC systems, and leaky roofs don’t just drive-up costs, they also increase health risks, especially for children, seniors, and those with chronic conditions such as asthma.
And most of the families we work with aren’t in crisis because they’ve made bad decisions. They’re in crisis because they’re living in homes that haven’t been updated in decades, and they have no real options. Many are long-time residents—people who’ve lived in their neighborhoods for generations, now struggling to keep up with rising costs and rising temperatures…