October 9, 2018

City of Seaford and Delaware Sustainable Energy Utility Launch Lights-ON Seaford Strong Campaign

SEAFORD, Del., Oct. 9, 2018 — The HELP Initiative Inc. will administer and program manage a collaborative effort and matching-funds campaign between the City of Seaford, in partnership with the Delaware Municipal Electric Corporation (DEMEC), Seaford Police Department and the Delaware Sustainable Energy Utility to reduce concentrated areas of criminal activity and improve public safety by utilizing energy-efficient lighting measures. This campaign will also provide education and awareness about how to reduce energy burden in the home and provide a roadmap for improving the health and safety of its occupants.

The HELP Initiative Inc. is an IRS-designated 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization based in Dover that specializes in energy-efficiency programs and service offerings for statewide communities in need. The Lights-ON Campaign launched in Dover during the summer of 2017 and recently completed final phase in the summer of 2018. A total of 367 homes received dusk to dawn energy-efficiency LED lights for their front porches and solar powered LED motion flood lights for their backyards.

Each resident participating in this campaign pledged in writing to keep their front porch light switch on and encourage their neighbors to participate in the Lights-ON campaign and report any suspicious activity to the Emergency 911 service. The City of Seaford Police Department crime statistics during this campaign’s period of performance demonstrated that concentrated areas of criminal activity were reduced in size and that Emergency 911 call volume increased for the targeted campaign areas. Members of the community also conveyed their full support of the Lights-ON campaign by actively participating in a community celebration at the end of each installation phase of the campaign.

The Lights-ON Seaford Strong campaign will be planned and managed by the HELP Initiative Inc. in partnership with the City of Seaford, DEMEC, Seaford Police Department, Delaware Sustainable Energy Utility, Habitat for Humanity, NCALL, Northeast Regional Council of Carpenters, United Seaford, and The Home Depot. This campaign is funded by the City of Seaford Green Energy Funds and the Delaware Sustainable Energy Utility. This collective street-by-street community campaign will educate and empower residents to increase public awareness of criminal activity, save energy and demonstrate a unified community approach toward public safety in Seaford neighborhoods.

The Lights-ON Seaford Strong Campaign will be conducted during the fall of 2018 and target approximately 400 homes within the Seaford area. Please contact Harold Stafford at the number above. He is the primary point of contact for this initiative.

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