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State weatherization director: expanded funding, higher crew wages boosted production but home repairs remain a chokepoint
Summary
The state Office of Economic Opportunity told the committee federal and state funding increases and a raised minimum wage for crew positions helped expand the weatherization workforce and service counts, but home-repair needs (including vermiculite abatement and roofs) and subcontractor capacity remain barriers for many eligible homes.
Jeff Wilcox, director of the weatherization program at the Office of Economic Opportunity, briefed the committee on Feb. 26 about recent growth in Vermont’s low-income weatherization program and remaining constraints.
Larger picture: Wilcox said the state now moves roughly $26 million annually through six local providers and the state office to weatherize low-income homes, up sharply from roughly half that funding five years earlier. He credited a deliberate policy to require a higher minimum wage and good fringe compensation for field crew positions with improving recruitment and retention: agencies now employ more crew members and subcontractors and achieved a roughly 35% increase in production compared with two years ago.
Key program facts
- Eligibility and mission: The program is free to households below 80% of area median income or 200% of federal poverty, and aims to reduce energy costs for elderly residents, people with disabilities and…
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