The Partnership Community Development Corporation brings conservation education and energy assistance directly to the communities of West and Southwest Philadelphia. Founded in 1992, TPCDC is dedicated to community building through securing economic opportunities.

In recent years, we have expanded on our flagship affordable housing and neighborhood development efforts to incorporate sustainable practices. In 2006, TPCDC was designated a Neighborhood Energy Center by the Energy Coordinating Agency of Philadelphia. Since then, we have served the community with services including emergency utility assistance, weatherization assistance, and energy conservation workshops.

Located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, The Partnership CDC (TPCDC) is a sixteen year old, non-profit neighborhood development organization. Since its inception in 1992, TPCDC has leveraged over $60 million in private investment to assist in the revitalization of the West Philadelphia community. TPCDC develops affordable for-sale and rental housing for low to moderate-income families in Philadelphia County and provides homeownership education to first-time homebuyers. Additionally, TPCDC works to attract new businesses to West Philadelphia, creates new jobs and helps to retain existing businesses. TPCDC continually works to respond to the needs of communities we serve. Recently, we have expanded our programming in the area of energy conservation. This is a particularly timely financial issue for many Philadelphians as PECO prepares to remove rate caps, and is also an opportunity to promote conservation.

The Partnership CDC provides emergency utility assistance, weatherization assistance, and energy conservation workshops. Our programs benefit residents in need of simple and cost-effective approaches for increasing home efficiency. After completing one of our half-day workshops, they are prepared with new tools to save money on electricity bills while contributing to a greener and more sustainable Philadelphia.

We now aim to combine energy conservation education with preventative measures such as pest control and lead testing under the umbrella of a "Healthy Homes" workshop. Pennsylvania Integrated Pest Management is one of our community partners in this project. As an example from the curriculum, the tasks of sealing cracks to reduce a home's pest problem or testing a home for lead can be addressed while weatherizing a residence. Unfortunately, many residents in our community are not familiar with the local services available to address health issues in their homes and may not realize the immediate health concerns related to a housing issue such as pests or lead. These workshops are an opportunity to further empower our community's residents to learn how to keep their homes and themselves healthy.

TPCDC strives to incorporate sustainable practices into all of our work areas. The above-mentioned programming has brought conservation education to our constituents and is just the beginning of what we can accomplish. As we revise our workforce development program, TPCDC staff members actively participate in the Philadelphia Green Collar Job Training Committee. In this capacity, they actively engage in dialogues across the city about how to synthesize better job opportunities for low-income Philadelphians with sustainable practices.

Since its designation as a Neighborhood Energy Center in October 2006, The Partnership CDC has brought together the best local and regional conservation resources to provide services and education to the communities of West and Southwest Philadelphia. In these two years our services have included emergency utility assistance, weatherization assistance, and energy conservation workshops.

Between October 2007 and April 2008, TPCDC hosted six community energy weekend workshops where homeowners and renters learned simple strategies for permanently improving efficiency in the home. Attendees also received a complimentary energy kit filled with items for the home including compact fluorescent bulbs, low-flow shower and faucet heads, and weather-stripping products. The culmination of the workshop was an excursion where representatives explained how further simple home modifications and weatherization could translate into better efficiency and energy savings. With approximately 25 participants at each workshop, over 150 community members were equipped to make positive and sustainable changes in their homes and neighborhoods as a result of these workshops. Program impact increased since many of the participants were block captains through the United Block Captains Association and shared the information with other community members through their channels. The Partnership CDC will be hosting similar workshops on-site and expanding our outreach component in 2009.  In addition to four workshops that will be held at TPCDC, local churches and Sayre High School will host presentations. Last year's workshops generated tremendous community interest and we expect that this season of workshops will reach even more residents than last year.

The Partnership CDC has also served the West and Southwest Philadelphia communities with emergency utility assistance.  During the 2007-2008, 1,014 residents received LIHEAP and CRISIS utility payment assistance services through our office. Residents appreciate the opportunity to access this crucial service in their neighborhood. By becoming acquainted with the TPCDC during LIHEAP and CRISIS intake, residents are linked into other TPCDC housing and financial counseling services and can then improve their financial health through home improvement loans and weatherization applications. In Fall 2008, TPCDC began offering energy counseling and so far 341 clients have participated. We are excited about the opportunity to offer a continuum of services to our residents and reach more community members this year.