Couleecap, a local WAP agency in Wisconsin, worked with Habitat for Humanity to address health and safety issues that would otherwise lead to deferrals.
Weatherization Assistance Program
October 24, 2023
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About the Project
Couleecap is a local Weatherization Assistance Program (WAP) agency in Wisconsin that worked with Habitat for Humanity to address health and safety issues that would otherwise lead to client deferrals.
Challenge
Couleecap was facing an increase in its WAP deferrals (almost 60%), many of which required “pre-weatherization” home repairs that were beyond WAP's health and safety scope.
Solution
Couleecap created the Weatherization Deferral Project (WDP) to help address health and safety and structural issues of WAP-deferred units. WDP harnessed Habitat for Humanity’s volunteer workforce to focus on WAP-deferred units and combined their labor and donated materials with forgivable grant dollars provided by the State’s Affordable Housing Program.
Because Habitat’s business model is based on volunteer labor, Couleecap had to find a way to ensure that Habitat’s work conformed to WAP standards. Couleecap and Habitat worked together to develop a plan that would treat Habitat’s work crews like any other WAP contractors. Additionally, Habitat agreed to warranty their work for 1 year, the same requirements applied to Couleecap’s other contractors.
Positive Impact
The WDP partnership has allowed WAP to utilize an additional $5,000 to $10,000 in rehab and health benefits per home, as well as provide WAP services for those homes that would have been deferred. As a result, clients in 52 substandard homes were able to receive the full benefits of WAP services, providing significant energy savings and addressing home health and safety concerns holistically.
Couleecap has shown their capacity to innovate, placing them on solid ground when making their case for additional resources for expanded weatherization and healthy homes services.
Partners
- Couleecap
- Habitat for Humanity
This story was developed using a National Association for State Community Services Programs success story. Learn more about Couleecap, Habitat for Humanity, or the National Association for State Community Services Programs on their websites.