SAHF and its members are committed to the health and sustainability of our planet and our communities by building and operating energy and water efficient housing.  As leading providers of affordable multifamily rental homes, we continually seek new ways to ensure the transition toward a low-carbon future is one that benefits residents and makes our communities more resilient. We strive to reduce our environmental impact through greater adoption of efficiency and renewable energy models and solutions.

The Big Reach

Launched in 2013 by SAHF and its members, the Big Reach was a collaborative initiative of SAHF, its 13 members, and partners to achieve a 20% reduction in energy and water consumption across the SAHF member portfolios by the year 2020. We are proud to say we not only reached our goal, but we exceeded it against our 2010 baseline and based on available data - 44% of members' portfolio for energy and 64% of members' portfolio for water.

Thanks to the dedication of SAHF’s members and the generosity of our partners, the thousands of homes upgraded through the Big Reach delivered healthier, more comfortable living environments for residents. Together, we avoided approximately 786,000 metric tons of carbon emissions – equivalent to running 170 wind turbines for a year - and we saved over 1.7 billion gallons of water – equivalent to filling more than 2,680 Olympic-sized pool.

The Big Reach offers learnings for how to pursue ambitious environmental goals within the multifamily affordable housing sector – all of which is documented in the Big Reach Report. This report captures these lessons and shares tangible, replicable ways for housing providers to set and reach their environmental sustainability goals.

Download the full Big Reach Report

Better Buildings Challenge

In conjunction with the Big Reach initiative, we are working with the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and the U.S. Department of Energy under the Better Buildings Challenge to promote best practices and policy incentives that enable energy and water efficiency in multifamily housing. Learn more about the Better Buildings Challenge by clicking here.

Member Highlights