partnering with indian communities to make homes healthier, safer and warmer yianice hernandez...

Partnering with Indian Communities to make homes healthier, safer and warmer

Yianice HernandezEnterprise Community Partners, Inc.

Enterprise Green CommunitiesLaunched in 2004, Enterprise Green Communities is an

effort to transform the way we locate, design and build affordable homes and to forge a powerful coalition of housing, health and environmental

stakeholders to advance this shared vision.

www.EnterpriseCommunity.org/residentengagement

Resident Engagement Resources

Eden has set a company wide goal of reducing energy, and waste usage by 30% over 3 years.

Resident engagement plays a large part and as a result, Eden has added green education into after-school programs at their properties.

Over 400 youth participate in this program annually, and created a PSA on Water Conservation.

To view video: http://youtu.be/Acn1mp3qTmw

Resident Engagement in Action

San Francisco, CA

Self-help recruited four (4) Green Resident Leaders for the property. Green Leaders helped to develop the training programs, communications and outreach methods with the Self-help staff and they provided translation of the pertinent information into multiple languages (Russian, Chinese and Korean) to address the cultural make up of the building’s residents.

Resident Engagement in Action

New York, NY

Resident Engagement in Action

Resident Engagement in Action

Austin, TX

1. Empower staff to serve as green champions onsite

2. Set measureable goals to track and communicate progress

3. Survey residents to structure engagement program based on their interests

4. Be flexible: adapt and re-plan to ensure an effective, successful program

Children from Abode Communities’ Ivy Terrace clean up a local watershed.

Resident Engagement Best Practices

1. Motivate residents with positive feedback

2. Encourage interactivity to allow residents to share their own experiences and tips

3. Use visuals such as videos as a tool to promote learning

4. Make it FUN – serve refreshments and award prizes to encourage participation

Farmworker Housing Development Corporation taught residents to make and use their own green cleaners.

Resident Engagement Things to Consider

For more information, see: www.EnterpriseCommunity.org/greenresources

Red Feather: Charting our Path Forward

Molly Jones-McCabeRed Feather Development Group

VISION

Red Feather envisions a world where safe housing is available to all and people are inspired to work collectively to create self-sustaining communities.

Mission

Red Feather partners with American Indian nations to develop and implement sustainable solutions to the housing needs within their communities.

Evaluating our Impact

• Rethinking the “One House at a Time” model

• Assessing the Needs of Our Target Audience

• Evaluating the Cost-Effectiveness of Each Program

IMPACT of the “Economic Downturn”

Trend Analysis: Individual Donations

January February March April May June July August September October November December -

20,000.00

40,000.00

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2011201220132014

IMPACT of the “Economic Downturn”

Trend Analysis: Corporate & Private Foundations

January February March April May June July August September October November December -

50,000.00

100,000.00

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2011201220132014

Defining How We “Do Business”

Our Work is about Sustainability

• Environmental Sustainability

• Social/Cultural Sustainability

• Economic Sustainability

What This Means:

• Projects initiated by tribal members – guidance vs. feedback

• Affordable, healthy housing• Culturally-orientated designs• Vocational Education opportunities (each

with a hands-on home improvement component)

• Employment opportunities for tribal members

The “Red Feather Way”

Each project is a partnership of many

Success is dependent upon relationships and trust.

Community Partnerships Include:

• Homeowners (financial, sweat equity)• Volunteers (financial, labor)• Community Partners (land process, loan

process, labor, cultural presentations, food)• Red Feather Members/Donors/Sponsors

(financial, materials, labor)• Red Feather Staff (fundraising, project

supervision)

Learning is Ceremony…and so is Teaching1

John B. MarianRed Feather Development Group

Circular Logic

Relationships form our reality

We are accountable to respect & honor those relationships

Workshops are a ceremony. Not a sacred ceremony, but a process whereby students become closer and more knowledgeable about a subject, topic or context. Through ceremony, students respectfully seek knowledge from the Cosmos

Community Relationships Drive the Content RF Delivers

What and how does the community want to learn?

Workshops are "space" for students to become closer to knowledge

When students share stories & knowledge, they help demonstrate their personal connection to information

Homeowner EducationWhat did we do?Created a Homeowner Reference Manual and Do-It-Yourself Workshop Curriculum

What did we accomplish?Developed proprietary resources to better prepare tribal homeowners for homeownership and enable them to create healthier living environments

Homeowner Education (cont.)What did we do?Sponsored 5 Healthy Homes workshops, which we taught in partnership with staff of the Northern Cheyenne Tribal Housing Authority

What did we accomplish?Over the course of 5 weeks we taught a total of 35 tribal “rent-to-own” residents our new Healthy Homes curriculum.

Homeowner Education (cont.)What did we do?Collaborated with the Hopi Tribal Housing Authority to offer two do-it-yourself weatherization (Wx)workshops.

What did we accomplish?Taught over thirty community members how to install Wx measures on their home, provided them with a DIY starter kit ($240 value), and installed basic weatherization measures two Hopi homes.

Learning to Teach (to Learn)

Teamwork and hands-on learning activities establish that students understand info, can perform tasks, and apply it to a problem

Personal accountability to evolve content and pedagogy to improve the ceremony

Every class is unique because of the relationships

Discussion and Questions

Yianice HernandezEnterprise Community Partners, Inc

Molly Jones-McCabeRed Feather Development Group

John MarianRed Feather Development Group