First hour: Discussing the SCIP program and its possible impact on the looming eviction crisis
Second hour: Exploring how community solar programs work
A new multi-agency effort aimed at helping local tenants facing eviction was announced Thursday morning. Legal experts say the pandemic has exacerbated the county's eviction issue, with attorneys bracing for double or triple the number of evictions in the next few months. The new effort — the Special COVID Intervention Part, or SCIP — will ensure that every landlord-tenant case will flow through a single part of the city court system. The program also gives tenants the opportunity to access legal counsel. This hour, our guests discuss the program, how tenants can access it, and its possible impact on the looming eviction crisis. Our guests:
- Alex Turner, eviction prevention representative for the Homeless Services Network, and community resource services program director at Catholic Family Center
- Mark Muoio, program director of the Housing and Consumer Law Unit and the Legal Aid Society of Rochester, NY
More than 3,000 local households will be part of a brand new community solar program — the first of its kind in the country. Here's the idea: Community solar is designed to enable households to receive the benefits of solar energy—lower electricity costs and reduced carbon gas emissions—without having to install panels on their home or property. But how does it actually work? Who pays for it? What are the drawbacks? Our guests sort through the sometimes-complicated details to explain community solar, and what is coming to local villages. Our guests:
- Sue Hughes Smith, member of Roctricity
- Ben Frevert, member of Roctricity
- Mayor Margay Blackman, Village of Brockport
- John Wadach, trustee for the Village of Lima
- Jessica Stromback, managing director for Joule Assets