Part of $20 Million Grant to Fund ALL(bany) Together – Climate and Health Resilience Equity Project

ALBANY (Dec. 19, 2024) — The Environmental Protection Agency has announced a $20 million grant for the ALL(bany) Together—Climate and Health Resilience Equity Project spearheaded by a coalition of eight organizations led by the Trinity Alliance of the Capital Region. The project will build two sustainable emergency centers that are able to maintain power, provide food and water, and implement emergency response plans for residents of the Albany community.

 

Of that, Trinity—a nonprofit social services agency founded in 1912 and headquartered in a 1928 schoolhouse—will receive $10 million to rehabilitate and expand its Trinity Place Center at 15 Trinity Place in the City of Albany’s South End so it can serve as an emergency hub.

 

The Underground Railroad Education Center will receive $3.5 million to construct the Northern Community Resilience Hub, providing the same support across the City to increase accessibility for all residents. Both hubs will have systems in place to maintain power, provide supplies such as food, and implement emergency response plans as needed.

 

The Albany project team included Trinity Alliance of the Capital Region, Inc. (lead applicant), Clean+Healthy (statutory partner), and Underground Railroad Education Center, Radix Ecological Sustainability Center, AVillage, Inc., Arbor Hill Development Corporation, Affordable Housing Partnership of the Capital Region, and Capital Area Urban League (collaborating entities).

 

The ALL(bany) Together project is envisioned through the lens of cohesive solutions to long-standing problems and in response to feedback gathered in our decades-long collective history of serving our community. We are deeply committed to working together to address our community’s needs, and enhancing climate resilience in our most disenfranchised neighborhoods.

 

In addition to the hubs, the project also includes improving indoor air quality by eliminating asbestos and mold; planting more trees; facilitating the engagement of neighbors in community affairs; introducing home repair and energy saving strategies, and increasing workforce training across the Capital Region to mitigate the impacts of climate change while investing in the future of the community.

 

“On Day One of his Administration, President Biden promised to target investments to communities that for too long have been shut out of federal funding,” said EPA Administrator Michael S. Regan. “Today, thanks to President Biden’s Inflation Reduction Act, EPA is delivering on that promise. These selections will create jobs, improve public health, and uplift community efforts in all corners of this country, regardless of geography or background.”

 

U.S. Senate Majority Leader Charles E, Schumer has long been a supporter of the ALL(bany) Together project.

 

“Every community should have an emergency shelter so that everyone has a safe place to go during extreme weather events,” Schumer said. “Now, $20 million in federal funding is going to build two emergency shelters in the Capital Region’s most disadvantaged communities thanks to my Inflation Reduction Act.”

 

Trinity Alliance CEO Harris Oberlander said this project will have far-reaching ramifications for the region that will span years.

 

“This grant money will go far toward transforming downtown Albany, strengthening and supporting a marginalized community that for far too long has been overlooked,” Oberlander said. “Trinity and its partners are grateful to Sen. Schumer and other supporters for actively backing an initiative that will build neighborhood assets and pay dividends immediately and far into the future.”

 

Clean + Healthy will oversee the Collaborative Governance process of this project.

 

“We are thrilled that EPA is investing in making Albany a healthier, more resilient city for its residents,” said Bobbi Wilding, Clean+Healthy Executive Director. “Clean+Healthy looks forward to supporting communications and public engagement while working with the amazing organizations that are part of this team and the broader community to implement this wide array of projects.

 

“Advancing environmental health and justice in areas that have been historically disinvested is essential to improving the quality of people’s lives and will have ripple effects for years to come.”

 

Arbor Hill Development Corporation (AHDC) and Affordable Housing Partnership of the Capital Region (AHP) are working together to fund home improvements that increase climate resilience. AHDC will prioritize increasing energy efficiency and residential comfort in the face of extreme heat. The Affordable Housing Partnership will use EPA funds to address mold, asbestos and radon in homes of low-income families.

 

“Abating these indoor air pollutants can be cost prohibitive, so we are grateful for the support to improve the health and well-being of Albany residents” said Susan Cotner, executive director of the Partnership.  

 

The Radix Ecological Sustainability Center will promote urban ecosystem justice by planting 200 more trees as part of its “Albany Biocultural Diversity Forest Program” and by providing subsidized food scraps collection to Albany’s marginalized neighborhoods through its Community Composting Initiative. Additionally, Radix will increase its community education programs and install data sharing air monitors in priority areas.

 

“The Radix Center has been working to advance ecological literacy and environmental justice in Albany’s South End for over a decade,” said Stacy Pettigrew, PhD, MS, Radix Center executive director. “We are honored to strengthen collaborations with our amazing partners and to be given the opportunity to advance equity and resilience in both climate and health.”

 

Capital Area Urban League will expand its workforce development and job placement program to build a pipeline of skilled talent for the clean energy sector. This grant allows for subsidizing participants, wraparound services to support their employment search, and provides access to resources for entrepreneurial development for expanding small business ownership for underserved groups.

 

“I am excited about how this award will allow the Capital Area Urban League to have greater impact in accomplishing its mission to enable African Americans and other underserved urban residents to secure economic self-reliance, parity, power and civil rights,” said April Land, Capital Area Urban League CEO. “The expansion of our workforce development program creates a clear path for participants to secure good paying careers in the clean energy sector”

 

AVillage will expand its community engagement through the Innovation Blocks Program, a transformative initiative designed to empower residents as Block Ambassadors. This program equips participants with the tools, resources, and training needed to become leaders in their neighborhoods, driving positive change and fostering stronger community connections.

 

This project is part of a broader Trinity building initiative that will enable the settlement house to address the growing needs of our community in a more effective and cost-efficient manner.

 

The entire cost of the Trinity Place Center rehabilitation and expansion project is $17.5 million. Trinity Alliance has 70 percent of the funds in hand, and has embarked on a capital campaign to raise the balance. For more information on donating or sponsorship opportunities, contact Trinity’s Director of Development Scott Hayden at [email protected] or 518-449-5155.

 

ADDITIONAL SOURCES:

EPA NEWS RELEASE: Biden-Harris Administration Announces Nearly $1.6 Billion in Environmental and Climate Justice Community Change Grants | US EPA

SENATE MAJORITY LEADER CHARLES E. SCHUMER NEWS RELEASE: Press Releases | Senator Chuck Schumer of New York

Interviews Available Upon Request.

Additional Information Available From Local Partner Agencies

WEBSITE LINKS:

Trinity Alliance of the Capital Region: TrinityAllianceAlbany.org

Clean + Healthy: CLEAN+HEALTHY | Building a just & healthy world where toxic chemicals are simply unthinkable

Underground Railroad Education Center: Home – Underground Railroad Education Center

Radix Ecological Sustainability Center: The Radix Ecological Sustainability Center | community-based sustainable solutions

AVillage, Inc.: AVillage.org

Arbor Hill Development Corporation: Arbor Hill Development Corporation

Affordable Housing Partnership of the Capital Region: Affordable Housing Partnership Homeownership Center

Capital Area Urban League: The Capital Area Urban League

ABOUT TRINITY ALLIANCE OF THE CAPITAL REGION

Founded in 1912, Trinity Alliance of the Capital Region offers a wide variety of resources and support tailored to fill the unmet needs of children, individuals, and families in our marginalized community. From parenting and reading classes to food pantries, anti-violence initiatives, housing assistance and much more, Trinity seeks to comprehensively strengthen our community in ways where it needs it, when it needs it and how it needs it. For more information, visit TrinityAllianceAlbany.org or call 518-449-5155.