MCE’s Workforce Education and Training (WE&T) team is proud to announce the completion of our first in-field mentorship session. The team met with contractors installing a state-of-the-art heat pump water heating system at the Greater Richmond Interfaith Program (GRIP) shelter in Richmond. GRIP seeks to help stabilize low-to-moderate income residents in the West Contra Costa County community through case management, enrichment, and training opportunities that eradicate homelessness.
During the site visit, the WE&T team discussed best practices for replacing the facility’s existing natural gas water heater with an all-electric heat pump water heating system. In addition to reducing energy use, these upgrades will bring improvements to the health, safety, comfort, and security of building residents and staff.
This is the first of the WE&T program’s many in-field mentorship sessions. The construction site visits are designed to provide installing contractors with the fundamental building knowledge needed to deliver maximum value and performance.
The shelter that hosted this field meeting is a multicultural, multiethnic coalition of congregations that are dedicated to helping community members transition to self-sufficiency. Onsite, GRIP provides emergency shelter and housing for families and focuses on making inroads with individuals who have a history of chronic homelessness.
Funding for the upgrades was a cooperative effort, and included assistance from MCE’s Low Income Families and Tenants Program, the City of Richmond, and the Low Income Weatherization Program. The water heater upgrade at the shelter was the first installation in a holistic improvement scope designed to increase energy efficiency, lower greenhouse gas emissions, and provide enhanced health and safety to residents onsite.
Through the WE&T Program, in-field mentorship trainings like GRIP are available to contractors working on high-performance building upgrades. These mentorship trainings also serve to qualify contractors as mentors for MCE-paid trainees in 2021.
