FACT SHEET

October 30, 2011

Sustainability on Buffalos Lower West Side: Heart of the City Neighborhoods, Inc.
Michael Jarosz

What is Heart of the City Neighborhoods? Heart of the City Neighborhoods, Inc Inc. (HOCN) is a 501(c)(3) not-forprofit community development c corporation.1 HOCN was established in order to create, facilitate, and support housing and neighborhood development in Buffalos Lower West Side.2 HOCN accomplishes that mission by initiating programs to improve the quality of residential housing and by developing sustainability projects to regenerate the area.3 How does HOCN function? A permanent staff of four individuals operates HOCN HOCN, while a fourfour member board of directors and additional members community activists as well as professionals support the organization.4 Moreover, HOCN has a constant supply of volunteers and has steady relationships with many other organizations in the area.5 The primary sources of funding g are 6 grants, donations, , and New York State.

What types of projects does HOCN take on? As a community development corporation, HOCN is a multi-faceted entity. With the help of volunteers and the cooperation of local partner businesses and organizations, HOCN has tackled a number of projects, including painting homes, planting new trees, fostering anti-crime initiatives, and producing a free video marketing the neighborhood.7 But HOCNs primary objective is increasing the availability of safe, healthy, and affordable housing in the Lower West Side.8 In what ways does HOCN achieve its primary objective? There are several methods by which HOCN goes about increasing the availability of safe, healthy, and affordable homes. The first approach involves assisting current homeowners within HOCNs service area whose homes are in significant need of renovation.9 Examples of this approach include painting the exterior of a house, adding or replacing a houses insulation, installing a new roof, and/or performing total lead abatement.10 The second method utilized by HOCN is the full or gut rehabilitation of a house.11 That is, HOCN acquires abandoned properties within its service area.12 If the house is beyond salvageable quality, it will be razed and the lot will be held for future use.13 If, however, the structure is still sound, the house will be gutted and totally rebuilt from floor to ceiling, inside and out.14 The adjacent picture is of one such house: 251 Whitney Place.15 How does sustainability factor into home renovations? Sustainability is a major part of HOCNs mission to create safe, healthy, and affordable homes. Making renovations to existing homes lowers utility costs for owners and conserves energy, which also reduces pollution. Examples include installing new windows, replacing dilapidated roofs, and/or insulating or re-insulating walls and attics.16 Educating the homeowners to use energy-efficient light bulbs, to lower their thermostats, and take other steps toward efficiency in their daily lives serves to further reduce energy consumption.17 How do full-scale house rehabilitations reflect sustainability? Full-scale house rehabilitations the ones that involve gutting the whole house and leaving just a shell to be entirely rebuilt promote sustainability even more aggressively than partial home renovations. Here, the outer walls are insulated quite heavily and result in the inner walls being nearly 18 inches further in.18 The new roof is also heavily insulated.19 The windows are all brand new and sealed well, the fixtures

are all energy-efficient, and the entire interior of the home is designed to be a more sustainable floor plan meaning that circulation of air is better facilitated and heating is thus easier and cheaper.20 On top of that, purchasers, who are all first-time homeowners, are educated on how to behave in more energy-efficient and sustainable ways.21

How else does HOCN advance sustainability? HOCNs work produces a ripple effect of sustainability. Creating safe, attractive neighborhoods in the city attracts more people, who boost the citys tax revenues and economy By making the city a more appealing environment, HOCNs work promotes density and reduce sprawl one of the regions biggest environmental problems.22 HOCN helps recenter our population in dense, walkable, bikeable, more public transportation-friendly zones.23 Seemingly simple changes create a surprisingly effective strategy. By razing houses that are beyond repair, painting existing homes, and planting trees, HOCN creates a far more aesthetically pleasing, safe, and healthy neighborhood.24 Further, partnering with other like-minded organizations allows for targeted plans of action that contribute things such as community gardens, community education, and overall safety.25 Finally, the combination of all these efforts consistently serves to drive out bad forces in a neighborhood such as drug dealing and gang activity, and to draw in good forces such as active community members and youth organizations.26 The end result is a revived neighborhood that is more sustainable on many levels.

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http://www.hocn.org/about-us Id. 3 Id. 4 http://www.hocn.org/about-us/team 5 http://www.hocn.org/about-us/supporters 6 Personal communication with Stephanie Simeon, Executive Director. 7 http://www.hocn.org/about-us 8 Id. 9 Personal communication with Stephanie Simeon, Executive Director. 10 Id. 11 http://www.hocn.org/about-us 12 Id. 13 Personal communication with Stephanie Simeon, Executive Director. 14 Id. 15 http://www.hocn.org/available-housing/properties-for-sale 16 Id. 17 Id. 18 Id. 19 Id. 20 Id. 21 http://www.hocn.org/available-housing/properties-for-sale/251-whitney-place 22 Id. 23 Id. 24 http://www.hocn.org/about-us 25 Personal communication with Stephanie Simeon, Executive Director. 26 Id.

_____________________________________________________________ Partnership for the Public Good www.ppgbuffalo.org 237 Main St., Suite 1200, Buffalo NY 14203 _____________________________________________________________