indieDwell's Contribution to Eliminating Poverty
SDG 1.4: By 2030, ensure that all men and women, in particular the poor and the vulnerable, have equal rights to economic resources, as well as access to basic services, ownership and control over land and other forms of property, inheritance, natural resources, appropriate new technology and financial services, including microfinance.
When we formed indieDwell in 2016 we specifically had in mind a business model that would accomplish three things: 1) build healthy, durable, sustainable and energy efficient affordable housing; 2) create economic development in distressed areas across the country; and, 3) help workers develop salable skills in the trades. We designed the model and our homes specifically to achieve these objectives. Toward the elimination of poverty, indieDwell takes the following actions.
indieDwell provides living wages, medical, dental and vision care, paid time off, maternity leave, and profit sharing to all employees.
We reserve 20% of the ownership in the parent company and the local entities, for the employees so they have a wealth generating tool.
Our homes feature a smaller footprint, making them less expensive to operate and maintain. We outfit every home with Water Sense water fixtures to reduce water consumption, and water bills. Every home contains Energy Star appliances to reduce power consumption, and reduce utility bills. We build every home to the U.S. Department of Energy’s Zero Energy Ready Home standard meaning our homes are the most energy efficient homes available, and they are all solar ready to further reduce energy costs. And you don’t have to take our word for it - we third party verify all these initiatives and make the documentation public.
The materials we utilize reduce maintenance costs over the lifetime of the building: solid core doors; recycled quartz countertops; cement fiber board siding designed to last 50 years; commercial grade flooring.
indieDwell only uses building materials that do not emit Volatile Organic Compounds, and we install energy recovery ventilators in every unit to circulate fresh, filtered air constantly. These measures contribute to occupant health, potentially reducing medical visits for ailments caused by poor indoor air quality.
For most people a home is their greatest asset. By developing affordable housing and working with partners to bring down the cost we help more people gain an appreciable asset. If you are interested in partnering with us to bring these kind of benefits, drop us a line.
Later in the week we’ll discuss how we contribute to SDG 5: Gender Equity.