West Plains, MO. – The weatherization program at Ozark Action, Inc. (OAI) is slated to get over $1.5
million for weatherization activities for the next half decade.
“We will receive a total of $1,641,013 in funding to help low-income homeowners and renters save a few
dollars each month on their utility bills,” stated Ed Button, Housing Director at OAI.
Button says the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) funding – which comes out to about
$328,000 each year for the next 5 years – is in addition to the roughly $500,000 the program gets each
year to weatherize homes.
“At this time, we are unsure when we’ll be able to proceed with this new funding, but we have submitted
our 5-year budget and are completely thrilled to be able to help those in our region that need it the most,
and we want to thank Congress for getting this through to the president’s desk.”
Weatherization services save residents about $31 each month on heating and cooling costs, or about $370
each year. During OAI’s last fiscal year from July 1, 2021, to June 30, 2022, a total of 58 homes in the
region were weatherized. Weatherization work mainly consists of insulating homes and trailers, along
with minor repair work, heating system repairs, and window repairs. The average cost of work that is
done per home is around $5,000.
To qualify for weatherization through Ozark Action, people must be at or below 200% of the federal
poverty level, or $36,620 for a household of two and $55,500 for a household of four.
“Landlords who have low-income tenants can also take advantage of this service,” Button added, “We
just request a small $200 contribution toward the work. But the tenant must be the person to apply.”
Right now, Button says OAI needs people to sign up for the service.
“Our waitlist has been short for some time now – around 4-6 months. Previously, people would wait years
for weatherization services through OAI. I’ve said it before, but now is the perfect time to sign up for
assistance.”
“This is an amazing opportunity for not only us to help those in need, but to help invigorate our local
economies,” Button added. “We want to spend as much of this money as possible in our local area over
the next five years, so please call us or visit our main office in West Plains or one of our outreach offices
in Ava, Alton, Houston, Gainesville, Hartville, or Mountain Grove to sign up!”
Ozark Action, Inc. is a non-profit Community Action Agency serving the counties of Douglas, Howell,
Oregon, Ozark, Texas, and Wright in South-Central Missouri. It was founded in 1965. The mission of
OAI is to coordinate and provide services for people with needs so that they can improve their quality of
life.
