Tamika Perry accepts gift from Green Mountain Energy
DAVID TAFFET | Senior Staff Writer
Taffet@DallasVoice.com
Dallas Hope Charities flipped the switch on Wednesday, May 21, at its transitional living facility in East Dallas, making the change to operating mostly on solar energy.
Green Mountain Energy Sun Club, the charitable arm of the renewable energy retailer, funded the upgrades at the Hope Center. The $121,000 grant provided DHC with a 17-kilowatt solar array that should provide all or most of the building’s electric needs. Another 10 kilowatts of Enphase battery storage will ensure the house is powered at night, during storms and through power outages.
The Sun Club’s gift also included an electric vehicle, a Subaru Soltera EV. The grant includes a charger that has been installed on the property.
The solar panels should save DHC $4,500 on its annual energy bills — more if the price of electricity rises. And Dallas Hope Charities CEO Tamika Perry said she expects the Subaru will save another $9,000 in gas each year.
The Hope Center is the only LGBTQ-focused safe housing program in Dallas County. It works with young adults ages 18 to 24 and can house eight people at a time. Each youth is welcome to stay for up to a year. But, Perry said some stay shorter periods of time and only need a few months to get back on their feet.
While staying at Hope Center, residents must participate in a variety of life skills classes that include everything from financial responsibility to cooking and cleaning, Perry said.
Dallas Hope Charities was founded in 2016 by Cathedral of Hope but now operates as an independent nonprofit. DHC brings together community partners to address factors that contribute to LGBTQ homelessness and the mental health crisis directly related to the high rates of suicide.
Statistics show that LGBTQ young adults between the ages of 18-24 experience disproportionately higher rates of homelessness compared to their peers due to family rejection, abuse, aging out of foster care and financial and emotional neglect.
“This investment in solar and sustainable transportation is an investment in the future of our youth and our city,” Perry said. “We are deeply grateful to Green Mountain Energy Sun Club for helping us power a safer, cleaner, and more affirming place for our residents to heal and grow.”
“At Green Mountain Energy, we know each nonprofit that we support with a sustainability grant brings us closer to a cleaner future,” said Andrea Ortega-Toledano, senior director of sustainability, Green Mountain Energy. “We’re proud to bring renewable energy solutions to Dallas Hope Charities so they can continue providing hope to LGBTQIA+ youth in North Texas.”
When Green Mountain Energy flipped the switch this week, Hope Center became the first solar powered LGBTQ shelter in the country.