KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Jerusalem Farm, a Kansas City, Missouri-based nonprofit, is known for providing home repair assistance in the Northeast.
The organization's latest solar power initiative, Empower the Northeast, will allow some homeowners to save money on their energy bills through solar panels, which will be provided at no cost.
"To provide low-income homeowners a way to access solar panel systems, it would save homeowners money in the long run," said Adam Rossi, sustainability coordinator at Jerusalem Farm.
One homeowner who was selected for the program tells KSHB 41 she is elated her energy bill will decrease.
"There's lots of obstacles because it's difficult to save that much money and life is really expensive right now," Eliseth Vasquez said.
Through private grants, Jerusalem Farm has secured $220,000 and will be installing solar panels for 20 Northeast households later this year.
With a goal of expanding the program, the organization plans to partially fund future projects via a specialty license plate.
"We need 200 signatures of people who want to sign up in Missouri to get a specialty license plate," Rossi said. "It will take 200 people to recover the cost of us applying for the program, and then after that, every 40 license plates that are sold will generate $1,000 toward installing solar systems."
The 200 signatures must be collected by June 30 to be considered for the 2024 legislative session.
Additionally, Jerusalem Farm is looking for artists to help design the plates. The selected design is eligible to win $500.
Empower Northeast is only available to people living in the Northeast and is based on need. Before a home is selected, a site visit is conducted to determine feasibility based on an evaluation of the residence's solar potential, roof, weatherization and electrical systems.
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