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, (right) an acclaimed Chicago SRO also nominated for 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 Portfolio
NEF's parent company, Local Initiatives Support Corporation (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 will be used in part to support LISC's 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. Read more.
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.
