Green Technology
NEF Invests 300MM in "Green"
Some people are surprised to find the affordable housing industry at the forefront of innovative, environmentally sound development, but our efforts have long been about high-quality, high-impact projects, the kind that help build dynamic sustainable communities, the kind that anchor long-term growth and nurture local opportunity.
At NEF, we have been fueling life-changing low-income housing for 20 years, with projects like SOLARA (below) and Near North Apartments, an acclaimed Chicago SRO and winner of an AHF Readers Choice Award. Both are standouts for the quality of their housing and resident services, but they are also among the greenest projects in the country.
Green Development Center
NEF's parent company, Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC) launched its newest unit in early 2008. The Green Development Center, headed up by Madeline Fraser Cook, connects the green development movement to full range of neighborhood projects as well as the next generation of low-income community workers. LISC received a $500,000 grant from The Home Depot Foundation to incorporate green building designs and components into affordable housing developments in nine cities across the country. The grant funds were used in part to support the Green Development Center, which at the national level provides financial resources, technical information, partnership opportunities and education to LISC programs and the community development field to support the use of green design, construction and management principles in low- and moderate-income neighborhoods.
Green Rehab Guide for Multifamily Properties
The first of its kind, this publication provides guidelines to help affordable housing developers make their existing properties green and energy efficient. Read more.
Green Portfolio
NEF has a diverse portfolio of green investments. View our green projects.
SOLARA Apartments
The Affordable Housing Tax Credit Coalition recently honored SOLARA for
excellence in affordable housing, awarding the project top 
honors in the Metropolitan Housing category for
its stunning design and extensive
use of green elements. The $16MM,
56-unit development in Poway, Calif. serves large families in an area facing recent
population growth, and is designed for maximum energy efficiency, with
100 percent of the project's electrical needs met by solar panels.
Read more about this project and its sponsor, Community Housing Works.
