Technology to Go Back to School…Safely

Our mission at Building Hope is to strengthen the capacity of charter schools nationwide by providing unparalleled facilities, financial, and operational services, so schools can focus on devoting more resources to educating students in underserved communities. We believe in the promise of school choice and charter schools, and we are committed to turning ideas and hopes into reality. The Covid-19 pandemic has forever altered school operations and student learning. Our goal is to find new, intuitive ways to service our schools and engage the communities they serve. The staff at Building Hope adjusted to the unforeseen challenges and continued to accommodate our clients by providing online billing options to bond financing, and so much more. We have focused our efforts on research and development to provide value-added services to our clients during this incredibly difficult time.

According to the Wall Street Journal, as schools reopen this fall, many are employing the use of air purification systems to mitigate the transmission of viruses and germs. Florida schools have avoided major outbreaks of Covid-19 and maintained low case rates with the help of such systems. Building Hope is excited to announce a new purchasing program for air purifiers to help schools access critical safety resources. Social distancing, washing hands regularly, and air purification are proven tactics to help schools generate healthier physical spaces. Our lightweight air purifiers utilize the latest scientific research and technology and operate simply by plugging into a wall outlet.

Our technology is proven to reduce up to 99.99 percent of pathogens, including the virus that causes Covid-19 on surfaces and in the air. The units work immediately to disinfect exposed surfaces and the air safely. They operate quietly 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Air purifiers are especially critical for high-traffic areas, such as business offices, classrooms, gyms and cafeterias. Our unique product protects indoor spaces of all sizes, building on natural processes. Its proactive pathogen defense is the only non-toxic, FDA-cleared system that cleans air continuously and is safe for people to breathe.

Building Hope’s competitive purchasing program is being shared via email with all clients, associates, and schools in our contact list. Interested parties are encouraged to send requests and inquiries to info-servces@hbhope.org. Once the agreement is executed, the order will ship and arrive within seven business days.

We encourage our schools to take full advantage of this purchasing program using the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security or CARES Act, passed by Congress on March 27, 2020. The CARES Act is providing approximately $31 billion in emergency education funding to students, schools, institutions, and states across the country. This funding can cover a wide range of services and resources, including cleaning and sanitizing schools, purchasing educational technology, such as laptops and hotspot devices, training educators to use online learning tools, ensuring access to education for students with disabilities, and providing students with emergency funding for food, housing, and other essentials. We understand there are instances where CARES funds are not available for certain schools; therefore, we have alternative financing arrangements available for those clients.

Many know Building Hope for helping schools purchase land for new facilities, renovate existing facilities, and/or secure loans. That is understandable, given that we have supported more than 300 charter school projects and provided more than $350 million in direct loans, credit enhancements, and equity investments to support $1.9 billion in school construction since 2003. What many do not know, however, is we also manage back-office services on our clients’ behalf, so they can concentrate on operating their school. This air purifier purchasing program is just one example of those services that we, as a non-profit organization, can provide to schools at a very competitive rate.

Over the last two decades, we have constructed and financed more than 270 school projects. Our team has the expertise, experience, flexibility, and partnerships to give each school a space to grow and thrive under any circumstance. As I like to say to my colleagues, “Everything is a math problem, and all math problems can be solved.” In this back-to-school season, I hope you know you can rely on Building Hope to help solve yours.