When the first cold snap hit last winter, Marisol did what she always did, she layered sweaters on her two kids and turned down the thermostat to save on the bill. The windows leaked, the radiators hissed without warming the house, and her youngest’s cough worsened at night. By January, she faced an impossible choice: heat or groceries.  

A neighbor told her to call La Casa de Don Pedro.  

Within days, an energy auditor from LCDP’s Healthy Homes team inspected the apartment, checking for drafts, testing the furnace, and explaining what needed repair. Our Weatherization Assistance Program sealed air leaks, added insulation, and installed safer, more efficient equipment. A LIHEAP grant helped settle a past-due bill to keep the heat on. When a routine screening identified potential lead hazards, our lead remediation team stepped in to make the home safer for the kids.  

“It felt like someone finally saw us,” Marisol said. “The house is warmer, my son sleeps through the night, and I’m not terrified of the bill.”  

Stories like Marisol’s are happening throughout Newark and Essex County. Aging buildings, lead paint, and inefficient systems put strain on family budgets and children’s health. For many low-income households, keeping a safe home can take up 40–60% of their monthly income, leaving little for food, healthcare, school supplies, or any other necessities.  

That’s why La Casa de don Pedro invests directly in healthier homes.  

In 2025, more than $4.29 million was invested to help families breathe easier and live more affordably.  Our teams enhanced safety and energy efficiency in 256 homes and 2 multi-family buildings, while nearly 5,000 households kept their homes warm through LIHEAP support. Lead remediation protected children from lifelong harm.    

This is quiet work with life-changing consequences.  

The LCDP Healthy Homes program has a simple promise: when families have a safe, efficient place to live, everything else becomes easier: homework, paychecks, doctor’s visits, sleep, and life in general.  

Marisol puts it this way: “I can plan again. We can think about next month, not just tonight.”  

*Shared with permission; the name has been changed to protect privacy.