January, 2020
POLICY UPDATES
Congress Approves WAP Reauthorization
It is amazing what Congress can accomplish when it finally gets around to doing something. The Senate sat on additional COVID-19 relief legislation and the appropriations bills until the very last minute, but when the Consolidated Appropriations finally passed, it included a host of energy program reauthorizations, including WAP.
Biden’s Climate Change/Stimulus Package: What Does it Mean for Weatherization
       
During the campaign, President Biden said he wanted to weatherize 2 million households. That would cost more than $10 billion. The National Community Action Foundation (NCAF) recently asked us for feedback on what modifications we would recommend to WAP to make President Biden’s ramp-up smoother than ARRA. (Should we call this ARRA 2.0?) You may recall that I asked for feedback from the network, and got quite a bit of it. The final version of those recommendations was sent to you last week.

ODSA Agrees to Let Agencies Use EPP Funds for AEP & DP&L Appliances

Weatherization providers know the refrigerator supply chain is seriously messed up. All are having difficulties sourcing appliances. OPAE approached ODSA about allowing HWAP and EPP funds to be used for appliances. ODSA agreed to help out by allowing agencies to use their EPP funds to provide refrigerators to clients with income under 150% FPL. 
COVID-19 Funds Allocated to Community Action Agencies for Rent and Utility Assistance

In January 2021, a Federal Reserve Bank study estimated that 640,000 Ohio households were threatened with eviction or didn’t know how they would pay the next month’s rent. Some of these households have taken advantage of the eviction moratorium announced by the Federal government last year, which was recently extended by President Biden. Other families remain subject to eviction proceedings.
MEMBER NEWS & RESOURCES
OPAE Shares:
Call for Presentations!
One of the benefits of being a member of OPAE is the opportunity to learn from one another. To that end, we are launching a new program called "OPAE Shares". The purpose of this program is to share best practices with your colleagues whether that be intake strategies, how you recruit, or technical training. Each month, OPAE will organize a ZOOM call, and all members will be invited to join a colleague's presentation.

So do you have something share, inform or teach? Submit your presentation ideas, and we'll start our first "episode" in late-February.
Client "Thank You's"
"Very grateful for all the work you have done to our house. We certainly will have a warmer home and a more electrical efficient home. We want to express our sincere appreciation for a job well done. Thanks again for all who contributed in fixing our home."
"We were amazed at the work quality & amount of work that was done! Best group of guys, very knowledgeable & kind. We immediately felt a warmer home followed by cheaper gas bills! Not only is our home warmer but it's quieter. Our utilities are lower!"
"Our bathroom floor had been affected by water damage and as a result the entire room was caving into the basement below it. Case managers in our program were able to coordinate with multiple funding sources to raise the money to completely re do the bathroom and conduct a safety audit of the home."
Members in the News


  • Member CAA of Columbiana County announces the opening of a low-cost pharmacy located at CAA Health, Behavioral Health and Dental Centers. READ MORE >>>

  • The Mid-Ohio Regional Planning Commission is beginning its work with eight central Ohio counties to develop a coordinated public transit-human services transportation plan. READ MORE >>>
Report:
Ohio Must Invest In Child Care To Address Rural Poverty
Defining, Measuring, and Addressing Energy Poverty, with Tony Reames
WIN LUNCH FOR YOUR AGENCY
Stories, case studies and client letters are great ways to share how our role in Ohio communities positively impacts families.

SO SHARE YOUR SUCCESSES!
Each month, we will reward the agency that submits the most content for sharing with a free office lunch. Winners will be announced in subsequent e-newsletters.