United Way of Long Island Green Building Programs, YouthBuild & VetsBuild, offer participants the training and skills to build a brighter future. Those who join these programs learn energy efficiency, building science, and green construction as we prepare them for green industry job opportunities in, renewables, weatherization, Energy Star construction, and home performance.
At the center of this is The E3 SmartBuild, a partnership between United Way of Long Island and the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA). This state-of-the-art building-science pressure lab house provides students with hands-on, energy-related training opportunities and certification programs. The E3 SmartBuild Center has allowed us to increase the depth of training offered by United Way of Long Island. By offering such education we can expand the employment opportunities of those who train at the E3 SmartBuild center while providing numerous advantages to low/moderate income families who may be struggling to balance the costs of owning a home. We are preparing the next generation of people to produce the next generation of homes.
Pedro lives with his wife and two children in a comfortable house here on Long Island. He works as a Certified Nursing Assistant at Stony Brook University Hospital and his wife is a home health aide. The family lives happily, trying every day to be role models to the community thanks to United Way of Long Island’s Green Building programs and the Town of Islip Community Development Agency (CDA).
When Pedro and his family came to the United States in 2009, the family was met with no shortage of obstacles to overcome. Pedro and his wife were both nurses when they lived in Venezuella but they would now need new certifications before they would be able to find work. The small apartment they were living in also made day to day life very difficult.
One day Pedro heard on the radio about the CDA’s affordable housing program. Pedro entered a lottery for a chance to win the opportunity to purchase a home at a cost that he could afford. It was a moment of excitement and disbelief when the family found out they had been chosen in the lottery, and they were soon shopping for the place they would call home. The house that Pedro and his family chose was built was one that had been built through United Way of Long Island’s Green Building programs. This meant that the family would not only be able to get the mortgage for the house at an affordable rate, but thanks to United Way of Long Island they would be living in a “Green” house that could be run on only a few dollars a month. Today Pedro is a home owner but the cost of living for him and his family is lower than ever.
“The most exciting moment was when we got the call to ask if we were ready to go see houses,” says Pedro. “It was at that moment that the whole thing became reality for us. “Every family dreams of owning a home, Town of Islip CDA and United Way of Long Island made our dream a reality. We don’t make millions of dollars but my family is happier than we have ever been.”