Through the healthy homes and weatherization cooperation demonstration (hhwcd) award, HUD is interested in supporting demonstrations that provide housing interventions in lower-income households…

The Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) awarded a $1,000,000 Project Grant under the Healthy Homes Weatherization Cooperation Demonstration (CFDA 14.901) program to Rebuilding Together New Orleans, Inc. The grant supports a 3-year demonstration project to deliver coordinated housing interventions in lower-income households in New Orleans, Louisiana.

The key products and services to be provided include: 1) Identifying and mitigating residential health and safety hazards such as lead-based paint, mold, pest infestations, poor indoor air quality, and injury risks, as described in HUD's Healthy Homes Program Guidance Manual; and 2) Conducting energy audits and implementing energy conservation measures while also improving health and safety through interventions like enhanced ventilation and installing detectors. The grant aims to determine whether this coordinated delivery of healthy homes and weatherization services achieves cost-effective outcomes in improving the safety, quality, and energy efficiency of homes.

Activities

These grants are intended to facilitate the leveraging of assets from both programs and support the exploration of different models of service delivery (e.g., recruitment strategies, and partnerships). HUD-funded programs identify and mitigate key residential health and safety hazards such as lead-based paint hazards, mold and moisture, pest infestation, poor indoor air quality, radon, and injury hazards as described in chapter 1 of the healthy homes program guidance manual (https://WWW.HUD.GOV/program_offices/healthy_homes/hhpgm). DOE-funded programs conduct energy audits and implement energy conservation measures, while also conducting interventions that improve health and safety (e.g., improved ventilation, installing carbon monoxide and smoke detectors). The following are the major goals and objectives of this award: 1. Demonstrate effective strategies for coordination between HUD's HHP and DOE's WAP programs that maximize program efficiencies and benefits to occupants. 2. Reduce WAP deferrals through coordination with HHP programs. 3. Demonstrate sustainable models of inter-program cooperation, including data sharing, reporting, and targeting/recruiting clients. 4. Demonstrate effective models for the sustainable financing of coordinated healthy homes/weatherization interventions. 5. Support the collection of data to evaluate the housing interventions conducted through inter-program coordination (e.g., program cost efficiencies that can be achieved, improvements in indoor environmental quality, improved health outcomes, and additional safety benefits to households). During the implementation of the hhwcd grant, olhchh expects a high level of coordination between the WAP activities and HHP activities, based on the understanding that this program intends to improve coordination between the DOE- and HUD-funded programs. There should be immediate outcomes from the hhwcd activities in terms of home improvements for energy efficiency, cost savings, and health and safety. However, a critical longer-term goal of this program is the development of models for future coordination and cooperation between the WAP and HHP programs. This increased coordination is expected to improve cost savings and the safety and quality of homes, such as energy efficiency, and health beyond the immediate recipients of the hhwcd program.

Expected outcomes

Leveraging the assets and staff expertise of each program is expected to significantly increase the benefits to the occupants of target homes. To determine whether this coordinated delivery of services achieves cost-effectiveness and better outcomes in improving the safety and quality of homes, including health and energy efficiency. The coordinated assessments and interventions are expected to provide additional benefits to households through the combined mitigation of health and safety hazards and improvements in energy efficiency and comfort. These grants are intended to facilitate the leveraging of assets from both programs and support the exploration of different models of service delivery (e.g., recruitment strategies, and partnerships). HUD-funded programs identify and mitigate key residential health and safety hazards such as lead-based paint hazards, mold and moisture, pest infestation, poor indoor air quality, radon, and injury hazards as described in chapter 1 of the healthy homes program guidance manual https://WWW.HUD.GOV/program_offices/healthy_homes/hhpgm. DOE-funded programs conduct energy audits and implement energy conservation measures, while also conducting interventions that improve health and safety (e.g., improved ventilation, installing carbon monoxide and smoke detectors).

Intended beneficiaries

All units assisted solely through the hhwcd funds awarded must be the residence of families with income at or below 80% of the area median income level, or at income levels defined in the income guidelines in olhchh's policy guidance on determining income. Or at or below 200% of the U.S. Department of health and human services (HHS) 2020 poverty guidelines, whichever is the higher income level. Members of households living in units assisted under this grant program must include either a young child (age 6 or under), an elderly person (age 62 or over), an individual who is pregnant, or a person with a disability or illness that could benefit from home modification (e.g., poorly controlled asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (copd)), or the household has a high energy burden.

Subrecipient activities

The subrecipient activities are unknown at the time of award.