Jefferson and Franklin Counties Decrease WAP Deferrals Through Collaborative Programs

About the Project

Combining the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s Healthy Homes program and the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE’s) Weatherization Assistance Program (WAP) increased the impact of both programs by reducing six to eight weatherization deferrals each month in two Missouri counties.

Challenge

DOE was interested in the potential synergy between WAP and Healthy Homes programs. During initial inquiries into this combined initiative, DOE discovered that the Jefferson Franklin Community Action Corporation (JFCAC) was already successfully implementing both programs.

Jefferson and Franklin counties are two adjacent, rural counties bordering St. Louis, Missouri. The two counties contain a number of older residences in significant disrepair. When these homes enter the WAP pipeline, the extensive remediation required often falls outside of the scope of WAP. These issues also take a significant amount of labor and funding to remediate, meaning other home improvement initiatives, such as Healthy Homes programs, are often left with limited funds to address other issues within the home.

The local weatherization program faced challenges in fully addressing all issues within participants' homes, leading to some applicants being deferred and others having unresolved issues outside the program's scope. To tackle this, JFCAC launched the Healthy Homes initiative, but encountered two main obstacles: securing full funding for necessary repairs and garnering adequate applicants for this new and lesser-known program. 

Solution

Operated by the same management, merging the weatherization program and the Healthy Homes initiative happened naturally. When Energy Auditors found homes with health and safety needs beyond the scope of WAP, they would refer them internally to the Healthy Homes initiative. Ideally, participants first complete the Healthy Homes inspection, as it is a much more detailed home inspection including air quality monitoring and in-depth investigation into any health and safety issues. However, since WAP has more community recognition, applicants often first apply to this program before being referred to the Healthy Homes program. Once work is completed by the Healthy Homes program, WAP is able to address issues within their scope, leading to an exponentially greater impact on the wellness of the resident.

Positive Impact

Combining the two programs has generated positive impacts for residents of the two counties. Applicants whose homes need significant repairs that would normally result in a deferral can complete those repairs through the Healthy Homes program before proceeding through the WAP process. The combination of the two programs has resulted in homes receiving exponentially more assistance than could be provided through each individual program independently. JFCAC has also built a network of additional funders, including local utilities, by demonstrating the impact of these two combined programs. The result has been some homes receiving tens of thousands of dollars in repairs and assistance. The combined programs generally complete six to eight homes per month and on many occasions, provide the assistance needed for residents to keep their homes.

This case study was created with content from JFCAC and the National Community Action Partnership.