FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 25, 2022
Media Contact:
Ernest Calderon, ernestc@solarenergyloanfund.org
Miami-Dade County created the new “Building Blocks Fund” to connect private and nonprofit funders with affordable and workforce housing developers.
MIAMI-DADE Co, Fla., May 23, 2022– The non-profit SELF (Solar and Energy Loan Fund) has committed $5 Million to the new Building Blocks Fund to address the ongoing affordable housing crisis in Miami-Dade County. The Fund, launched by Miami-Dade County Mayor Daniella Levina Cava, will align funders such as SELF with affordable housing developers in need of financing. SELF is one of seven founding partners committing a total of $55 Million. The county’s Public Housing and Community Development Department has committed $15 million, bringing the Fund total to $70 Million.
“SELF is honored to provide the much-needed capital to preserve and build resilient and affordable housing in the County,” said Duanne Andrade, SELF’s chief financial and strategic officer, “At SELF, we strive the keep the good life possible for every day Americans. That life starts with a home that’s safe, durable, and affordable.”
SELF’s contribution to the Fund is the latest in a succession of partnerships to advance climate equity and housing affordability in South Florida. Recently, SELF:
- Partnered with the Miami-Dade County Office of Resilience to finance more than 250 sustainable home improvements.
- Celebrated the upcoming installation of solar and battery storage on Miami-Dade County’s Gibson Plaza affordable senior housing.
- Received the Community Progress Maker grant from the Citi Foundation to scale lending in disadvantaged Miami communities.
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About the Solar Energy Loan Fund (SELF)
The nonprofit SELF organization is a community-based lending organization committed to social, environmental, and financial justice. As a certified Community Development Financial Institution (CDFI), SELF’s mission is to rebuild and empower underserved communities by providing access to affordable and innovative financing for sustainable home improvements. SELF is the first “green” Community Development Financial Institution (CDFI) in the Southeast.