Lights-ON
Delaware Strong
What It's All About
Here’s how the Lights-ON Delaware Strong program works. Volunteers go door to door in lower-income neighborhoods of select cities, offering residents free energy-efficient LED exterior lighting, installed at no cost. The reason? Well-lit neighborhoods deter crime and improve public safety.
This leave-behind door hanger (shown at left) alerts residents that a volunteer team will soon visit to install a free LED lightbulb on the front porch and a free solar floodlight in the backyard, activated by a motion sensor. Residents welcome the free lighting offer, which opens the door to conversations about other programs they might qualify for, depending upon their income level.
The Goals
The goals of the Lights-ON Delaware Strong program are to:
- Save residents money on electric bills through high-efficiency LED and solar-powered lighting
- Achieve up to a 10% reduction in crime, as monitored daily via a real-time data dashboard that tracks community statistics
- Build a greater sense of community and cultivate neighborhood groups
- Find ways to involve youth in the revitalization and stewardship of their communities
- Encourage reinvestment in businesses as well as in homes, which, in turn, helps maintain and improve housing stock
- Reestablish or build upon relationships with local police departments, civic groups and city government
How We're Making an Impact Locally
The results of the Lights-ON Delaware Strong program have been very positive in six communities and counting. Local residents are experiencing a higher quality of life, greater public safety, lower energy costs and significant reductions in crime—many reporting nearly a 10% drop.
The HELP Initiative partnered with West Side Grows Together on a crime-prevention strategy to bring better and brighter lighting to more than 500 west-side Wilmington locations.
Founded on our vision that revitalization is about reinvesting in both people and places, the strategy’s main goals are to reduce crime and deepen the sense of community—and in turn, attract new investment, businesses and residents. Additionally, it involves local youth in revitalization and stewardship by offering them activities to engage in and employment opportunities to explore.
Furthermore, our strategy reduces the likelihood of a distressed building falling into disrepair and helps to maintain and improve housing stock, which is essential to long-term neighborhood vitality.
To learn more, listen to this radio reporter’s interview, courtesy of Delaware Public Media.
https://cpa.ds.npr.org/wdde/audio/2020/02/lights_on_wha1.mp3?_=1
To date, the campaign has installed new LED lighting at 440 homes and delivered 15,886 watts of energy savings to 491 homes and businesses. Program participants saved money on electric bills, thanks to the installation of energy-efficient bulbs.
The HELP Initiative partnered with the city of Georgetown on a crime-prevention strategy to bring better and brighter lighting to 142 Georgetown locations.
Founded on our vision that revitalization is about reinvesting in both people and places, the strategy’s main goals are to reduce crime and deepen the sense of community—and in turn, attract new investment, businesses and residents. Additionally, it involves local youth in revitalization and stewardship by offering them activities to engage in and employment opportunities to explore.
Furthermore, our strategy reduces the likelihood of a distressed building falling into disrepair and helps to maintain and improve housing stock, which is essential to long-term neighborhood vitality.
To date, the campaign has installed new LED lighting at 142 homes and delivered 31,568,120 watt-hours of annual energy savings fto Georgetown homes and businesses. Program participants saved money on electric bills thanks to the installation of energy-efficient bulbs.
On September 30, 2019, the HELP Initiative partnered with the city of Laurel on a crime-prevention strategy to bring better and brighter lighting to 441 Laurel locations.
Founded on our vision that revitalization is about reinvesting in both people and places, the strategy’s main goals are to reduce crime and deepen the sense of community—and in turn, attract new investment, businesses and residents. Additionally, it involves local youth in revitalization and stewardship by offering them activities to engage in and employment opportunities to explore.
Furthermore, our strategy reduces the likelihood of a distressed building falling into disrepair and helps to maintain and improve housing stock, which is essential to long-term neighborhood vitality.
To date, the campaign has installed new LED lighting at 441 homes and delivered 60,385,600 watt-hours of annual energy savings to homes and businesses. Program participants saved money on electric bills thanks to the installation of energy-efficient bulbs.
The HELP Initiative partnered with the city of Milford on a crime-prevention strategy to bring better and brighter lighting to 478 locations.
Founded on our vision that revitalization is about reinvesting in both people and places, the strategy’s main goals are to reduce crime and deepen the sense of community—and in turn, attract new investment, businesses and residents. Additionally, it involves local youth in revitalization and stewardship by offering them activities to engage in and employment opportunities to explore.
Furthermore, our strategy reduces the likelihood of a distressed building falling into disrepair and helps to maintain and improve housing stock, which is essential to long-term neighborhood vitality.
To date, the campaign has installed new LED lighting at 478 homes and delivered 79,622,560 watt-hours of annual energy savings to homes and businesses. Program participants saved money on electric bills thanks to the installation of energy-efficient bulbs.
In November 2018, the HELP Initiative partnered with the city of Seaford on a crime-prevention strategy to bring better and brighter lighting to 92 locations.
Founded on our vision that revitalization is about reinvesting in both people and places, the strategy’s main goals are to reduce crime and deepen sense of community—and in turn, attract new investment, businesses and residents. Additionally, it involves local youth in revitalization and stewardship by offering them activities to engage in and employment opportunities to explore.
Furthermore, our strategy reduces the likelihood of a distressed building falling into disrepair and helps to maintain and improve housing stock, which is essential to long-term neighborhood vitality.
View the video below to learn more.
To date, the campaign has installed new LED lighting at 92 homes and delivered 14,042,280 watt-hours of annual energy savings to homes and businesses. Program participants saved money on electric bills thanks to the installation of energy-efficient bulbs.
In June 2017, the HELP Initiative partnered with the city of Dover on a crime-prevention strategy to bring better and brighter lighting to 368 locations.
Founded on our vision that revitalization is about reinvesting in both people and places, the strategy’s main goals are to reduce crime and deepen the sense of community—and in turn, attract new investment, businesses and residents. Additionally, it involves local youth in revitalization and stewardship by offering them activities to engage in and employment opportunities to explore.
Furthermore, our strategy reduces the likelihood of a distressed building falling into disrepair and helps to maintain and improve housing stock, which is essential to long-term neighborhood vitality.
View the video below to learn more.
(This video link found at http://www.helpinitiativede.org/history)
Dover Police Chief Marvin Mailey says that this is paying dividends. “We have seen a tremendous decline in the number of burglaries committed in 2017, and we credit this program and proactive policing. Overall, the Lights-ON Dover Strong initiative has made these neighborhoods safer to live in.”
To date, the campaign has installed new LED lighting in 368 homes and delivered 34,923,200 watt-hours of annual energy savings to homes and businesses. Program participants save money on electric bills thanks to the installation of energy-efficient bulbs.
Contact Us
Are you a homeowner, tenant or landlord interested in the HELP Initiative’s Lights-ON Delaware Strong program? Simply complete the form below, and we will respond quickly. Or contact our call center Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 8 p.m., to speak with a knowledgeable representative who can provide you with full program details, qualifications and eligibility criteria, and income requirements.
Call 833-888-0410 or 302-672-0778.