Whole Homes, Whole Community:
Putting a just transition into practice for Highland Park and Detroit households.
Update: Deadline for Response to RFP Extended to January 26, 2024.
In 2023, frontline communities fought for and won community benefits in the DTE Energy’s 15-year energy plan.
Soulardarity and We Want Green Too (collectively known as the Detroit Area Advocacy Organizations, or DAAO) were signatories to the agreement, having negotiated through public testimony and confidential settlement discussions for key items addressing racial and economic equity and securing the closure of DTE’s polluting coal plants.
We are proud of the work done in this case to secure these items, while remaining clear-eyed about the work which still needs to be done. Among many improvements to DTE’s inadequate initial proposal, we secured an $8 million commitment to supporting low-income households to conduct home improvement and implementation of solar and storage, supporting equity and access in the clean energy transition which advocates will steer.
DAAO and our allies are moving forward with a plan for a transformative program in Highland Park and Detroit.
Funders, community organizations, households, workers, and government agencies – the time is now.
Through close collaboration with fellow intervenors Vote Solar, Union of Concerned Scientists, Environmental Law and Policy Center, and Ecology Center (collectively known as the Clean Energy Organizations, or CEO), we built a program vision for this settlement funding that centers community benefits and community agency and built buy-in and support from the Attorney General, Michigan Public Service Commission, and DTE.
We envision a multi-year program that delivers whole home benefits to hundreds of low-income households over the next four years, including home repair, weatherization, solar, and energy storage. We envision the creation of jobs, the strengthening of community capacity, and the recognition that communities must be at the table at every stage of the energy transition for it to be just and equitable.
We hope to leverage the initial settlement donation many times over to generate robust and lasting community benefits, gather data and stories, and advocate for program which benefit every community in DTE’s service territory.
We need you to make this a success.
Funders, community organizations, households, workers, and government agencies – the time is now.
- We have a unique opportunity to come together to ensure that frontline communities are not left behind in the energy transition.
- We are continuously seeking partnership at all levels to make this program a success. Let’s make Highland Park and Detroit models for a just energy transition and the first step in making it accessible for everyone!
- We have recently released an RFP for a lead fiduciary and partner to receive the first distribution of $2 million in February of 2024.
- We are continuously seeking partnership at all levels to make this program a success.
Let’s make Highland Park and Detroit models for a just energy transition and the first step in making it accessible for everyone!
WHWC Frequently Asked Questions
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The settlement specifies that the funding will be used for low-income households to install “energy efficiency improvements, renewable energy, or battery technology, including necessary home repairs to facilitate the installations.”
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The recipient of the funds is determined by the unanimous agreement of the five parties named in the settlement agreement:
- The Detroit Area Advocacy Organizations (Soulardarity and We Want Green Too)
- The Clean Energy Organizations (Union of Concerned Scientists, Ecology Center, Environmental Law and Policy Center, and Vote Solar)
- The Attorney General’s office staff
- The Michigan Public Service Commission staff
- DTE Energy
DAAO and CEO are leading the Request For Proposals process to solicit and select a program partner.
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After the completion of a planning period, targeted for Fall of 2024.
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The planning period will include deep community engagement to ensure broad understanding and input into the program by the target communities, research and analysis to ensure program goals and impact measures are matched to community needs, and program design and funding solicitation to expand on the core settlement funds.
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Highland Park residents and community organizations can contact Soulardarity:
- Max Boyd, Highland Park Coordinator max@soulardarity.com
Eastside Detroit residents and community organizations can contact We Want Green Too:
- Gloria Lowe, President gloria@wewantgreentoo.org
Organizations and individuals interested in responding to the RFP should reach out to:
- info@hpdetroitwholehomes.org
For general inquiries, contact Jackson Koeppel. DAAO regulatory coordinator:
- jkoeppel.consulting@gmail.com
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Proposals should be submitted via email to info@hpdetroitwholehomes.orgSection III.A also identifies a few specific documents to include in the proposal:
- “Please provide an organizational chart or similar resource outlining the key staff responsible for different program components and how they interact. If external contractors are used, describe how they are managed to complete projects.”
- “Provide a copy of your organizational financial control processes.”
Section III.D outlines supplemental materials proposers may submit, including but not limited to letters of support and examples of prior projects and work. Any documents you wish to include to support your proposal may be included. -
Home audits should be sufficient to meet the program design goals of the pilot phase. They should identify critical health and safety home improvements, highest impact energy efficiency work, and the viability of/need for solar and storage. The exact scope and depth of each home’s audit may depend upon the home. For example: it may not be possible to conduct a blower door test on a home which needs major building shell repairs that can be identified through a visual inspection.
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The primary purpose of the settlement funds is to actually achieve the improvements to low-income households. However, as discussed in Exhibit A in Scope 3: Program Design and Funding, the planning phase should assess the workforce needs and existing capacity to complete the intended improvements and identify additional sources of funding and programs to maximize local workforce development. The capacity to conduct such assessment should be included in the detailed pilot phase budget. I will note that this is an area of programmatic focus for We Want Green Too. If you would like to discuss this component with Gloria Lowe of WWG2 as you develop this part of your proposal, please let me know and I can make an introduction to schedule.
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The proposal only requires a detailed budget and committed partners for the planning phase, which would include energy audits. I would recommend making mention of partners you envision working with for the implementation phase, and potentially including letters of support from those partners as part of your supplemental materials to demonstrate their commitment.
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In response to a request from a prospective respondent, the deadline for responding to the RFP has been extended to Friday, January 26, 2024.
