The Wilmington Housing Authority is kicking off a program designed to increase public safety and provide energy-use awareness and education.
The Lights-On Campaign is a partnership involving the Wilmington Police Department, West End Neighborhood House and Energize Delaware. The HELP Initiative will administer and manage it.
The goal is to install energy-efficient LED lights at homes where criminal activity is concentrated to help improve public safety
Wilmington Housing Authority executive director John Hill says seeing the program work on the city’s west side and places downstate helped convince the authority to use it.
"The comparison was made here and as well as in Dover and it shows about 22% reduction in certain crimes," said Hill. "So, we looked at the data where it wasn't just isolated to what we saw here we have proof in other cities that it worked."
Hill also says it makes sense for the housing authority to be part of the initiative.
"We're starting in the West Center City area where we have about thirty five of our scattered site homes and we're going to install the LED lights in those areas through this initiative and we're really happy to be partners with this with the city, with the police department, and with HELP," said Hill.
The program plans to go to Southbridge next, where 180 homes will get the new bulbs that last 18 years according to Hill.
He adds they also need to replace the electrical panels in Southbridge at a cost estimated at $35,000.