Near the heart of Downtown Oakland, sits a nearly century-old converted hotel that for many, has become a refuge. The Bay Area nonprofit Operation Dignity provides housing and resources for unhoused people in the region, with a focus on unhoused veterans. This Oakland hotel, now their “House of Dignity”, is just one of many where the dream of Alex McElree is alive and well. A Vietnam War veteran who faced his own struggles with homelessness upon his return to the US, McElree began Operation Dignity in 1993 with a mission to end veteran homelessness.
Over 30 years later, Operation Dignity now provides low-barrier sheltering, street outreach, permanent housing, and services to those experiencing homelessness. GRID Alternatives has collaborated with Operation Dignity to help them transition to clean energy.
Funded with the support of the State of California's Low-Income Weatherization Program (LIWP), GRID installed a 65 module, 25.675 kW-DC solar energy system in October 2024. It is estimated to annually produce 40.33 MWh and reduce House of Dignity’s energy load by 8.96%. LIWP, which aims to provide low & no cost solar photovoltaic systems and energy efficiency upgrades to California residents, covered 91% of the total cost of installation. This will allow Operation Dignity to focus their funds and efforts one aid to the community.
Lola Rockwell Brown serves as the Operation Dignity’s Division Director of Veteran Housing - Transitional & Emergency and as Co-Director of Dignity Village for the organization in Alameda. Their mission just doesn’t stop with providing shelter for unhoused veterans but provides "a whole person approach: physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual”.
“[Veterans] have so much they want to share with us. They entertained conversations with everyone and had great interactions with folks. The team took me up to the roof at the end and it was so beautiful,” said Lola. “We want to have a more positive impact on our world today and that can look like using compostable items in our kitchen, trying to be as resourceful as possible, and solar energy. To have less of a negative impact is what [Marguerite] wanted.”
Marguerite Bachan, who served as the Executive Director of Operation Dignity and who helped initiate this project, passed away earlier this year. She is remembered as a “lifelong champion of vulnerable communities & her legacy will live on through the many lives she touched”.
On the team that completed the installation were two SolarCorps Fellows, GRID’s program for training the next generation of clean energy workers & leaders. Cassandra Tu (she/her) and Epic George (she/her) both aided in the design & project management roles as part of the ‘23-’24 SolarCorps cohort.
“Working with nonprofits like the House of Dignity is a sign of GRID's commitment and focus on providing services for those who need it most and creating opportunities to promote positive and lasting impact in the community,” said Epic.
GRID Alternatives continues to pursue opportunities to collaborate with community organizations in an effort for a just, equitable, rapid transition to renewable energy.