The Greater Atlanta Home Builders Association’s official charity, HomeAid Atlanta, is partnering up to help retrofit a Decatur homeless shelter.
HomeAid will work alongside Decatur Cooperative Ministry and WellHome in the project.
The project also has national significance. This particular retrofit is the first undertaking of HomeAid America’s national Environmental Sustainability Program. Funded by a $600,000 grant from the Wal-Mart Foundation, the program aims to benefit existing facilities for the homeless by retrofitting and installing energy-efficient upgrades.
Decatur Cooperative Ministry, a nonprofit organization serving homeless families in the Decatur and DeKalb area, operates the home that will undergo the retrofit. DCM and HomeAid’s partnership is a longstanding one as the two are united in their efforts to provide for the temporarily homeless.
To-do items include air sealing, insulating the attic and crawl space, adding a radiant barrier to the roof rafters, tightening ducts, installing energy-efficient lighting and repairing the roof.
General Electric has donated energy-efficient home appliances and lighting that will be installed to make the house greener.
When the retrofit is finished, the home’s energy efficiency will be increase, cutting down on operating costs and utility bills. The modifications from the retrofit are estimated to reduce the home’s energy usage by about 40 percent.
For more information about HomeAid Atlanta or The Greater Atlanta Home Builders Association, visit the organizations online.
