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The DOE Weatherization Assistance Program focuses on assessing and addressing health hazards in homes to improve worker training. Phase I involves identifying training needs and program guidance for consistent implementation. Phase II aims to strengthen referral networks and track partnerships. Learn about key initiatives and resources for successful integration of health and energy efficiency at the state/local level.
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Healthy Homes: Phase I Phase I: Understand and Assess the Issue • Assess Training Needs: • Inventory existing training programs that addresses “healthy home” issues for weatherization workers; evaluate content and accuracy • Identify where additional training is needed • Survey WAP providers (collect “on the ground” info) to identify: • Which health hazards they encounter most frequently • Whether they address them; whether other programs exist and can address • How they would address them ideally • How much it would cost (or does cost) to remediate • How often they cannot address the issue and must “walk away” from the home • Develop clear consistent program guidance for consistent implementation: • Evaluate eligibility of health remediation efforts for DOE WAP funding • Maximize health benefits within eligibility boundaries • Provide clarified guidance to WAP providers on eligibility • Make recommendations for revised/new program structure if relevant
Goal and Status • Goal: Assess current health and safety activities, challenges and opportunities. • Status: • Hired NREL/National Center for Healthy Housing/Tohn Environmental Strategies • Reviewed state plans, DOE Guidance, model training courses • Phone Interviews with 44 states and 40 local programs • Preliminary results under review, welcome your feedback • Observations of current activities & challenges • Opportunities to improve integration of health and safety
Healthy Homes: Phase II Phase II: Assess and Strengthen Referral Networks • Identify which health issues cannot be remediated with WAP funding and do not have other federal programs to address • Survey WAP providers to gain an understanding of existing partnerships with organizations that can remediate health issues • Where gaps exist between partnerships that are needed and partnerships that exist, we will assist the WAP network in identifying appropriate organizations with which to partner, help formalize relationships • Assess the referral process used by WAP providers (e.g., material given to the client, calls made to referral partners, follow-up calls with the client and/or referral partner, process through which the client is placed by in the queue for weatherization services, etc.); determine best practice • Develop a database for tracking and managing referral relationships and partners; provide web-based access to information from the database to make it available to workers in the field for real-time action
Resources • HUD Healthy Homes Office • EPA Office of Children’s Health • EPA Office of Indoor Air Quality • National Center for Healthy Housing • WAP Health & Safety Guidance and State Plans • Green & Healthy Homes Initiative • National Residential Retrofit Guidelines
Keys to successful, effective integration of health and energy efficiency (at the state/local level): • Collaboration between Weatherization Offices and Health Departments (sometimes administered out of the same office, or through a “liaison” that works with both) • Clear protocols for workers to follow to identify energy and health-related retrofit opportunities, simultaneously • Support of political actors and elected officials • Leveraging of funds from other sources (e.g., foundations, complementary federal and local programs, etc.) • Cross-trained workforce to deliver health- and energy-related retrofit services, or clear delineation of roles if different workers
Jennifer Somers Jennifer.Somers@ee.doe.gov Ryan Middleton Ryan.Middleton@ee.doe.gov Please provide us Feedback