The Delaware Tenant Rent Reporting Program Pilot To Close March 2024

Dover, Del. January 29, 2024 – In January 2023, the Delaware State Housing Authority (DSHA) launched the Delaware Tenant Rent Reporting Pilot Program in partnership with Self Financial, Inc. and NeighborGood Partners. This voluntary and free program allows qualified Delaware renters to build their credit by reporting their on-time rent payments to Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion for 12 months. 

The Delaware Tenant Rent Reporting program pilot is active and open for enrollment; however, the deadline to apply is Monday, March 29, 2024, at 4:30 p.m.

Eligibility requirements include:

  • Must be a renter in the state of Delaware
  • Must pay your rent with a payment method linked to a bank account
  • Must possess a housing voucher, live in a public housing unit operated by one of the state’s public housing authorities, OR meet the following income limits:
Family Household Income
1 $36,450
2 $49,300
3 $62,150
4 $75,000
5 $87,850
6 $100,700
7 $113,550
8 $126,400

 

To learn more or apply, please contact Nancy Aragon, Rent Reporting Specialist, at (302) 855-1370 (office), (302) 260-1212 (cell), or naragon@neighborgoodpartners.org.

Other program benefits include referrals to free financial coaching, the opportunity to report on-time utility payments to TransUnion, access to credit insights and alerts, and identity theft protection. To date, the majority of participants have experienced a positive impact to their credit. Final program outcomes, including average credit score change, will be detailed in a report following the conclusion of the pilot.

The American Rescue Plan Act funds were used to launch this pilot program. While there are no plans for future funding, the Delaware Tenant Rent Reporting program pilot will conclude with a final report. The program’s final report will be presented to the Governor and the General Assembly and will detail program findings, program outcomes, and recommendations regarding expanding rent reporting to more Delawareans.

For more information about the Delaware Tenant Rent Reporting Pilot, please contact Nancy Aragon, Rent Reporting Specialist, at (302) 855-1370 (office), (302) 260-1212 (cell), or naragon@neighborgoodpartners.org.

About Delaware State Housing Authority

The Delaware State Housing Authority (DSHA), formed in 1968, provides quality, affordable housing opportunities and appropriate supportive services to low- and moderate-income Delawareans. In addition to its role as the State’s Housing Finance Agency, DSHA is unique in that it serves as a Public Housing Authority and a Community Development and Planning Agency. As a Public Housing Authority, DSHA receives funding from HUD to build, own, and operate public housing in Kent and Sussex counties, two of Delaware’s three counties. For more information about DSHA, please call (302) 739-4263 or visit destatehousing.com.

About NeighborGood Partners (formally NCALL)

As a service provider for families and individuals in Delaware, NeighborGood Partners offers pre-purchase and foreclosure prevention counseling, financial education, and DEHAP rental housing assistance. NeighborGood Partners is a HUD-approved housing counseling agency. Their services to nonprofit corporations include developer consulting for multi-family housing projects, and technical expertise for USDA’s Rural Development Self-Help Housing program. Their Loan Fund, a Community Development Financial Institution, provides financing to nonprofit and for-profit corporations interested in providing affordable housing and other living spaces, neighborhood revitalization, and community facilities. They also provide community development services and are the lead agency for Restoring Central Dover, a resident-driven neighborhood revitalization initiative.

About Self Financial

Self Financial is a credit-building platform working to increase economic inclusion and financial resilience through products that make building credit accessible. With no hard credit check to get started, Self’s signature Credit Builder Account and secured Self Visa® Credit Card issued by its partner banks are designed to enable people to build credit and savings simultaneously. The company also offers rent and utility payment reporting. Download the Self app at the Apple App Store (220,000+ reviews and an average 4.9 rating) or Google Play or visit Self. Inc for more information.


Five Delaware Arts Organizations Receive Special Presenter Initiatives Grants from MidAtlantic Arts

 

Statewide, Del. (August 7, 2023) – Mid Atlantic Arts, in partnership with the Delaware Division of the Arts, has announced over $102,000 in grants, across five states, through the 2023-2024 Special Presenter Initiatives program.

The Special Presenter Initiatives program provides funding to small and mid-size presenting organizations in Delaware, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, West Virginia, and the Native nations that share this geography. The program supports presenting projects with professional touring artists and ensembles from anywhere worldwide. The supported projects include public performances as well as community engagement activities that enhance the performance experience and offer meaningful exchanges between touring artists and a presenter’s community. The artistic engagements proposed by applicant presenters are diverse in performance genre and artist identity. 

“We congratulate the grantees of the 2023-2024 Special Presenter Initiatives program,” said Jessica Ball, the Director of the Delaware Division of the Arts. “These grants will play a pivotal role in bringing exceptional artists and diverse performances to the First State. Our mission at the Delaware Division of the Arts is to foster artistic excellence and enrich the cultural landscape of Delaware, and these grants align perfectly with that goal. We are excited to witness the meaningful exchanges between touring artists and our communities, and we look forward to the transformative impact these performances will have on our state.”

The 2023-2024 grantees from Delaware include:

“Mid-Atlantic Arts plays a vital role in bringing exceptionally talented artists to our community through their generous support,” said Delaware Symphony Orchestra CEO J.C. Barker. “Not only does their assistance enable the DSO to showcase these important artists, but it also provided the necessary resources to foster a collaboration with young talents at the Music School of Delaware. This partnership created invaluable opportunities for aspiring young musicians to learn from a musical virtuoso.”

“CCAC is humbled and honored to be the recipient of a Special Presenter Initiative Grant from Mid Atlantic Arts,” said Christina Cultural Arts Center Executive Director James Rhodes. “As we continue to move beyond shuttered venues and welcome visitors back to CCAC, this funding allows us to engage dynamic artists from around our region and across the country to reconnect with our thousands of supporters.” 

Ron Ozer from the Arden Concert Gild stated, “the Special Presenters grant allows Arden Concert Gild to take bigger risks booking unusual eclectic but top tier artists from around the world, such as Lankum, in one of only 5 appearances across the US in one week in 2023.”

Carol Dennis, Executive Director of Coastal Concerts stated, “I’m a strong believer that music has a special way of inspiring and transforming our lives in a multitude of ways.  The Mid Atlantic Arts Special Presenter Initiative Program is a remarkable program that allows us to enrich the lives of the youth and adults in southern Delaware by supporting the presentation of our educational outreach programs and concerts by renowned musicians.”

Image: African Kora virtuoso Sona Jobarteh.

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About the Delaware Division of the Arts
The Delaware Division of the Arts is an agency of the State of Delaware. Together with its advisory body, the Delaware State Arts Council, the Division administers grants and programs that support arts programming, educate the public, increase awareness of the arts, and integrate the arts into all facets of Delaware life. Funding for Division programs is provided by annual appropriations from the Delaware General Assembly and grants from the National Endowment for the Arts, a federal agency. For more information about the Delaware Division of the Arts, visit arts.delaware.gov or call 302-577-8278.

About Mid Atlantic Arts

Mid Atlantic Arts supports artists, presenters, and organizations through unique programming, grant support, partnerships, and information sharing. Created in 1979, Mid Atlantic Arts is aligned with the region’s state arts councils and the National Endowment for the Arts. We combine state and federal funding with private support from corporations, foundations, and individuals to nurture diverse artistic expression while connecting people to meaningful arts experiences within our region and beyond. To learn more about Mid Atlantic Arts visit www.midatlanticarts.org.

Contact: Andrew Truscott, Program Officer, Marketing and Communications

302-577-8280, andrew.truscott@delaware.gov

The Delaware Division of the Arts, a branch of the Delaware Department of State, is dedicated to cultivating and supporting the arts to enhance the quality of life for all Delawareans. Together with its advisory body, the Delaware State Arts Council, the Division administers grants and programs that support arts programming, educate the public, increase awareness of the arts, and integrate the arts into all facets of Delaware life. For more information about the Delaware Division of the Arts, visit arts.delaware.gov or call 302-577-8278.


DNREC, Mountaire Farms of Delaware, Inc. enter into agreements on violations at Mountaire poultry processing facilities

DOVER – The Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control signed an agreement with Mountaire Farms of Delaware, Inc. Dec. 13 to resolve spray irrigation and land application permit violations cited by DNREC in a Nov. 2, 2017 Notice of Violation (NOV). DNREC first took action against Mountaire for these violations via the filing of a complaint in Delaware Superior Court against Mountaire in June 2018. The complaint was stayed by Superior Court pending resolution of a parallel action in Federal Court. To formalize ongoing and required corrective actions resulting from the September 2017 wastewater treatment plan failure, DNREC and Mountaire have finalized an agreement based on the consent decree proposed in June 2018.

The agreement includes three major components – mitigation, environmentally-beneficial offset, and an administrative penalty and costs. Mountaire is required to mitigate damage to the environment through short-term and long-term corrective measures. In the short term, Mountaire must continue the interim corrective measures required by DNREC that have been ongoing since October 2017. Mountaire must also make long-term system upgrades to the plant, including the requirement for environmental mitigation through the relocation of Mountaire’s production wells within the spray fields to establish a pump and treat system.

By way of an environmentally-beneficial offset, the agreement with DNREC requires Mountaire to offer nearby residents options for an alternative water supply, meaning an option for a whole-house filtration system in addition to the public water supply and deeper well provisions of the earlier consent decree. The agreement also requires Mountaire to pay an administrative civil penalty of $600,000 for violations of its spray and land application permits, and to reimburse the Department $25,000 for expenses incurred during the Department’s investigation. In consideration of the environmentally-beneficial offset, the Department will reduce Mountaire’s penalty by 30 percent to $420,000.

The agreement updates the consent decree by including more specificity concerning reporting requirements; adding the whole-house filtration option as an alternative water supply; requiring more specificity on tracking and reporting of mitigation efforts; and clarifying mitigation goals, including that Mountaire’s pump and treat system will be maintained as a permanent part of the facility upgrade. The agreement became effective when it was executed on Friday, Dec. 13, but DNREC will request the agreement be entered by the Federal Court as a consent decree, and that, once entered, the Court will have immediate jurisdiction to oversee and enforce the agreement.

In addition to formalizing an agreement with Mountaire regarding the 2017 violations, DNREC and Mountaire also entered into a conciliatory agreement to address unresolved violations at Mountaire’s Selbyville facility, as well as other violations at the Millsboro facility not directly related to the 2017 wastewater treatment facility failure. Issues addressed via the conciliatory agreement include unauthorized discharges of pollutants from live-hold areas at the Selbyville and Millsboro facilities; an unauthorized release of partially treated wastewater effluent to ground surface at the Millsboro facility due to an equipment weld failure; and temporary sludge storage lagoon issues that include synthetic liner concerns and elevated ammonia levels noted in monitoring wells surrounding the temporary sludge storage lagoon at the Millsboro facility. The conciliatory agreement requires corrective actions and mitigation measures to prevent future violations and includes administrative and stipulated penalties.

As a condition of the conciliatory agreement, Mountaire is required to pay an administrative penalty in the amount of $230,000. Mountaire is able to offset up to $115,000 of the assessed administrative penalty by performing a wetlands restoration and/or enhancement project on the Indian River or on Swan Creek with Department approval. Both agreements referenced above can be found on the DNREC website at dnrec.alpha.delaware.gov/secretarys-orders/enforcement/.

Media contact: Michael Globetti, DNREC Public Affairs, 302-739-9902

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DNREC, Croda, Inc. reach settlement agreement on company’s air and water violations from Nov. 25, 2018 EO incident

DOVER – The Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control (DNREC) and Croda, Inc. have entered into a settlement agreement that resolves environmental violations arising from the Nov. 25, 2018 ethylene oxide release (EO) at Croda’s Atlas Point facility.

Croda, Inc.’s facility located at 315 Cherry Lane, New Castle, Del., manufactures surfactants that promote mixing of oil- and water-based ingredients in consumer products such as pharmaceuticals and shaving cream. At 4:23 p.m. on Sunday, Nov. 25, the EO release by Croda was responsible for a seven-hour shutdown of the Delaware Memorial Bridge while emergency responders – including DNREC’s Emergency Prevention and Response Section and Environmental Crimes Unit – worked throughout the area to ensure that there was no threat to public health and safety.

Croda’s subsequent investigation found that the release was due to the failure of a gasket made of unsuitable material for processing EO at the plant. The accidental release resulted in 2,688 pounds of the highly flammable EO gas escaping into the environment. A water deluge system, deployed by Croda to minimize the risk of ignition or explosion of the EO that was released, caused almost 700,000 gallons of deluge water to overflow a spill sump and to discharge into the ground and a wooded area behind the sump.

The settlement agreement includes a DNREC Secretary’s Order issued on March 4, 2019, citing Croda for Division of Air Quality violations for the EO release and for the improper maintenance and operation of the Atlas Point facility. The Division of Water cited Croda for the unpermitted release of deluge water in violation of its NPDES (National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System) permit. The settlement agreement also directs Croda to pursue a plan of sampling and remediation, pursuant to HSCA (the Delaware Hazardous Substance Cleanup Act), administered by the Division of Waste and Hazardous Substances’ Site Investigation and Restoration Section (SIRS).

Through the settlement agreement, DNREC Secretary Shawn M. Garvin issued a Notice of Penalty Assessment and Order to Croda, Inc., for the violations of Delaware air quality regulations and the company’s NPDES permit. The Secretary’s Order assesses a penalty of $246,739 to Croda, which includes $16,489 for DNREC cost recovery from responding to and investigating the incident.

In the settlement with the State of Delaware and DNREC, Croda, Inc. also has agreed to resolve all violations arising from the operation of Croda’s new EO plant as permitted by DNREC, both prior to and including the Nov. 25 incident. The settlement agreement also calls for DNREC and Croda to define further Croda’s environmental obligations for the Atlas Point facility. With Croda having accepted those obligations set forth by DNREC and agreed to necessary remedial actions required by the Department for public health and safety, the settlement with DNREC provides a path forward to resume production of ethylene oxide at the Atlas Point facility upon final approval from DNREC.

The settlement agreement and Secretary’s Order can be found on the DNREC website at https://dnrec.alpha.delaware.gov/secretarys-orders/.
A DNREC Q&A about the Nov. 25 incident and the Department’s investigation into it can be found at https://dnrec.alpha.delaware.gov/croda-questions-answers/.

Media contact: Michael Globetti, DNREC Public Affairs, 302-739-9902.

Vol. 49, No. 65

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