WEATHERIZATION, HUD HOUSING PROGRAMS ACCEPTING APPLICATIONS

The Housing department at Ozark Action, Inc. is currently accepting applications for people seeking home weatherization services or for rental assistance through the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD)’s Housing Choice Voucher (HCV) program.

HUD

The Howell County PHA, administered through Ozark Action, Inc., held their first voucher briefing on July 22 after canceling the March hearing and not holding one since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. One other has been held since then, with more being scheduled in the coming weeks.

“We have been taking extra precautions during the pandemic,” stated Terry Sanders, Executive Director at OAI. “We continue to be closed to the general public, however, in the event that a client has to come into the building, we have expanded our cleaning and sanitization regimen and installed plexiglass dividers to work with members of the public to protect both our employees and those who come to us for assistance.”

The HUD Housing Choice Voucher program (HCV) helps low income individuals and families pay their rent and pays up to 100% of their rent in some circumstances. The program is based on income, with a limit of $19,650 per year for one person and a limit of $28,050 for a family of four. The OAI HCV program operates in Howell, Oregon, Ozark, Texas, Wright, Shannon, Douglas, and Ozark Counties, apart from the cities of West Plains and Cabool. If you are looking for a place to rent, or if you are a landlord who would like more information on the program, call Ozark Action at 417-256-6147 or email HUD@oaiwp.org.

WX

OAI crews started going back into homes to weatherize on July 6 following roughly two months of weatherization inactivity due to the pandemic.

“As Terry mentioned, we are taking extra precautions before going into homes, including checking with the client to see if they have been sick recently, social distancing of crews from the client, face masks, paperwork scanning, and extra tool sanitization,” stated Housing Division Director Ed Button. “We’ve had a few clients defer their spot at the top of the list to a later date due to the pandemic, which is understandable. However, a lot of our clients are excited to have our crews work for a day or two and reap the benefits of having their home weatherized.”

The weatherization program, funded by the Missouri Department of Energy and the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP), offers free audits and insulation work to low-income people across the country. The benefits of weatherization include lower heating and cooling costs via insulation and sealing drafts, servicing heating and cooling equipment, and improving quality of life.

Currently, OAI is still not allowing the general public to enter the facility at 710 E. Main St. in West Plains except for some services, such as fingerprinting.

People seeking to fill out an application for housing or weatherization assistance, or one of the other many programs offered at Ozark Action, will need to make an appointment by calling Ozark Action at 417-256-6147.