Fostering self-reliant families and healthy, sustainable communities.
January 2022
Dear Friend,

Here at Isles, we foster self-reliant families and healthy, sustainable communities in a number of ways - youth education, urban agriculture, job training, financial services, and more. For me, a key to family health is a home, a healthy, safe place to raise your children.

As part of my work on the energy and environmental health services team, we provide critical services that families need most: help with leaky roofs, old windows, or a broken furnace. And perhaps most importantly, we provide lead testing, remediation and abatement, preventing lead poisoning that can cause permanent health and behavioral issues in children.

In Trenton, I have lived on Lamberton St, Princeton Ave, Academy St, Walnut Ave, and Laurel Ave. We have detected lead paint in homes on each of these streets, but most people, including my friends and neighbors, are unaware of the hazards caused by lead paint dust. This makes the work challenging: for nearly a decade our team has been asking residents to allow us to come into their homes to test for an invisible poison that many have never heard of.

But here at Isles, we have an opportunity to inform residents of the dangers of lead and other indoor health hazards, and the resources to help make homes safer and more energy efficient. Our work is a necessity that most people do not know they need - but that makes it all the more rewarding when residents invite us in and trust us with their most important asset: their home.

Read one example below of our holistic, cross-departmental approach to ensure all families in Trenton have a safe and healthy place to live.

In community,

Energy and Environmental Health Manager
Customer Spotlight: Narcisa Delgado
When Trenton resident Narcisa Delgado looked for help with purchasing a home, her research brought her to Isles.

In 2018, she attended a First Time Homebuyer Class—a workshop designed to provide initial tools and advice for beginning the homebuying process. Through this training, Narcisa met with IFS staff who began laying out a step-by-step action plan for buying a home and gave her resources on budgeting and money management. After saving and working with Isles, Narcisa purchased her home in 2021!

But her relationship with Isles wasn’t over quite yet. At Isles, we remove lead, provide free home energy improvements for qualifying households, and help people lower their utility costs while making homes more comfortable. Because Narcisa bought an older home, Isles’ Lead and Weatherization team wanted to make sure that her home was safe, healthy and had the necessary energy and environmental repairs. Narcisa’s home was first remediated for lead to make sure it was safe for her family. She also received a new heater, water heating system, and upgraded windows to increase the home’s energy efficiency.

“To be honest, I could've never imagined there was a group of people dedicated to helping others gain access to these programs,” said Narcisa about Isles’ holistic approach. “I am very grateful to Isles for providing me with the right information, for the support and guidance, and for helping me make my dream of providing a healthy home to my family come true.” Congrats on your new, safe home, Narcisa!

Isles' 2022 Spring Celebration
On April 9, 2022, Isles’ friends and supporters will come together for the 2022 Spring Celebration to enjoy the fifth annual fundraiser at our Social Profit Center at Mill One. Please join us to savor the flavor of our community with an evening of local food, drinks, and entertainment at historic Mill One!