Building For Homeless Veterans and Our Environment/Our Economy

Background:

Owner: Rockland Homes for Heroes

Location: Orangetown, NY

Completion Date: November 2023

Programs Achieved: Energy Star SFNH, NYSERDA LRNCP Tier 3, LEED for Homes v4.1 Platinum Certification

Rockland Homes for Heroes (RH4H) is a 501c3 charitable organization (EIN# 26-4526324) that develops permanent supportive housing for honorably discharged veterans, both male and female, who are homeless, disabled, or at risk of homelessness in New York’s Mid-Hudson Valley. Founded in 2009, RH4H is led exclusively by volunteers (most of them veterans) with decades of service to the local community.

The 14-unit development is built on a 7 1/2-acre property known as Camp Shanks. Camp Shanks served as a point of embarkation for troops departing overseas during World War II. Camp Shanks was labeled “Last Stop USA”. The camp housed roughly 50,000 troops spread out over 2,000 acres and was the largest World War II Army embarkation camp, processing 1.3 million service personnel including 75% of those participating in the D-Day invasion.

After the war, Camp Shanks was converted into housing for veterans with families attending colleges and universities in the New York City area under the GI Bill. The then Shanks Village closed in 1954, and a small museum opened near the site in June of 1994.

Homes for Heroes II was designed with sustainability features from the start that advanced throughout design to achieve higher levels of incentives through the NYSERDA Low-Rise New Construction Program. The buildings have achieved certification through Energy Star Single Family New Homes, LEED for Homes v4.1, and NYSERDA LRNCP.

The development includes 14 one-bedroom units. These units are optimized for individuals with disabilities, including mobility, hearing and visual impairment. Each unit includes its own kitchen, bathroom, in-unit laundry, ERV for fresh air, and high-efficiency air-source heat pumps. Other amenities include a community room, tenant storage, and a patio with a pergola.

The $5.4 million Homes for Heroes II project was developed by Rockland Homes for Heroes, who worked in conjunction with Affordable Housing Concepts LLC. (AHC LLC.), The Ives Architecture Studio, LLC., Community Revival, Brooker Engineering, McGoey, Hauser, & Edsall, and Sustainable Comfort, Inc. Homes for Heroes II received funding from multiple New York State funding programs including $1,497,700 from the NYS Homes and Community Renewal (“HCR”) Housing Trust Fund Program and $3,000,000 for the NYS Homeless Housing and Assistance Program. The project also received $280,000 from the Federal Home Loan Bank Affordable Housing Program and the Leviticus Fund provided construction financing for the HCR portion of the project.

As the energy efficiency and green building consultant, Sustainable Comfort worked alongside the team to achieve rigorous green building standards with include third party verification of performance.

The sustainability features of the Homes for Heroes II include:

• Energy Star Single Family New Homes Version 3.1 Certified with an average Home Energy Rating System (HERS) Index of 41, which is a 59% reduction in energy use compared to 2006 Energy Code.
• Certification to LEED for Homes v4.1 which places a focus on design, constructed, and operated to be resilient in adverse conditions and are developed with practice design planning for potential impacts of catastrophic weather, with an emphasis on healthier materials, savings compared to non-green homes, and value.
• The all-electric apartments included high-efficiency air source heat pumps, heat pump water heaters, and electric appliances in each apartment leading to a eliminating the use of fossil fuels and reducing carbon emissions.
• Highly insulated units to reduce heat loss including a combined R-36 exterior wall assembly and R-49 roof insulation.
• Energy Star Windows with U-0.27 efficiency.
• Received $49,000 in incentives through the NYSERDA Low-Rise New Construction Program.
• All LED lighting and Energy Star qualified appliances throughout the buildings.
• Low-Flow water fixtures with WaterSense labels throughout the buildings.
• Energy Recovery Ventilators provide fresh air that passes through MERV 8 filters before entering the apartments.

“Homelessness is a life without a future. It breeds loneliness, despair, hopelessness, depression, addiction and – too often – suicide. We’re fighting to give out veterans a chance to create a meaningful life for themselves outside of uniform” – Capt. John Allen Murphy