Climate Justice Leadership 2024
The Community Action Center (CAC) of Northfield is a community-based nonprofit in southeastern Minnesota focused on providing food access, housing, basic needs, and substance abuse recovery. Last year, the organization celebrated the opening of Hillcrest Village, a new housing development with the goal of bringing sustainable, carbon neutral and affordable housing to the community. The development has 17 units of affordable, supportive, and emergency housing and will produce all its own energy through onsite solar, making it one of the first on-site net-zero energy supportive and emergency housing developments in the nation. Low-income and BIPOC Northfield community members helped lead the planning and design process, and remain deeply engaged with residents. CAC has also committed to sharing the results of the project with researchers and communities across the state — including the City of Rochester, which is looking to develop a similar project.