SUMMARY OF FEEDBACK FROM CBO OUTREACH MEETINGS FALL

SUMMARY OF FEEDBACK FROM CBO OUTREACH MEETINGS (FALL 2018) Theodora Okiro, IQ North Facilitation Team 12/11/2018

AGENDA q Overview of Outreach Prioritization List q Recap of Outreach Plan q Outreach Outcome and Data q Summary of Meetings q Geographic Distribution of Outreach Meetings q Summary of Feedback and Trends q Outstanding Questions q Next Steps and Future Meetings

OUTREACH PRIORITIZATION LIST 1. CAAs 6. Implementers 2. Educational Inst. 5. Workforce Dev. Grantees 3. CBOs 4. Faith Based Orgs.

OUTREACH PLAN & STRATEGIES q The Outreach Efforts were implemented using the Facilitation Team’s Outreach Work Plan. The plan featured the following 7 strategies: 1. Conduct background research of counties/communities prior to outreach. 2. Create outreach tools, including: email to solicit engagement, info-sheet and template of questions. 3. Simultaneously reach out to organizations that have participated vs. not-participated. 4. Leverage existing relationships with utilities, community leaders and municipalities to identify geographic gaps in CBO participants. 5. Emphasize incentives to participation in meetings. 6. Track CBO participation at each meeting. 7. Develop threshold for strong participation rates.

METHOD OF OUTREACH & OUTCOME q Some outreach data include: q Outreach begin date: 9/10/2018 q Primary mode of outreach is email. q Phone calls are made after initial email and follow-up email. q 76% response rates (and meetings) amongst IQ North CAAs till date. q Zero response from educational institutions (as of date). q All meetings have been in-person.

GEOGRAPHIC DISTRIBUTION OF CAA OUTREACH MEETINGS Rock Island Kendall/Grundy County Dekalb/Kane County Lake County Cook County Rockford Tri-Counties Kendall County Will County Du. Page County

SUMMARY OF FEEDBACK q The trends and feedback received from the outreach meetings have been grouped into the following categories: q Barriers q (faced by IQ Customers and Program Administrators) q Committee Process q Feedback on Programs q Marketing q Energy Efficiency Education

I. BARRIERS FACING IQ CUSTOMERS Energy Efficiency Program Perceptions: q. Income Eligibility Guidelines – For utility programs, the eligibility guidelines have increased. These customers do not realize they now qualify for the programs. q. There is a lack of trust of utilities. A suggestion to bridge this trust address this is to collaborate with the customers to improve communications and engagement. For IQ customers that are renters – the approach to accessing these customers for programs must be different. q. For example, IQ customers in Altgeld Gardens pay for the utility bills in conjunction with their rent. There is little opportunity for them to learn about energy efficiency.

I. BARRIERS FACING PROGRAM ADMINISTRATORS There is a correlation between proximity to Chicago and a satisfaction with resources. q. Rural CAAs do not have a robust access to certain resources such as contractors. q. CAAs closer to Chicago are largely satisfied with their resources. Some CAAs have encountered barriers with contractor procurement. q. Rural CAAs have a smaller list of contractors due to a lack of capacity. q. For other CAAs, the change in the contractor bid process shortened the number of contractors they could utilize.

I. BARRIERS FACING PROGRAM ADMINISTRATORS CONTD. Some CAAs have faced and continue to face barriers in hiring and training staff. q. Training new weatherization staff takes around 6 months which can hamper overall implementation and production. q. Question: Can staff augmentation be provided as part of the programs to the CAAs? The location of the new staff training program (for CAAs) in Champaign is an impediment to implementing the programs. q. Some CAAs have seen staff drop out of training due to travel logistics. q. A suggestion to address this is to conduct the training for new staff locally in partnership with Community Colleges.

I. BARRIERS FACING PROGRAM ADMINISTRATORS CONTD. For some CAAs, there are 2 different data management systems for the programs. This creates resource constraints. Broken windows and other in-home repairs hamper weatherization jobs and contribute to long waiting lists or deferrals. q. The double data management system is particularly a barrier for CAAs operating in both the IQ North & IQ South territories. q. Fixing broken windows and other home repairs may not be a priority or feasible for IQ Customers. This may disqualify them from having their homes weatherized. q. Suggestion: Perhaps there can be an education component for IQ customers about these repairs or program coordination with other contractors to address the repairs.

II. COMMITTEE PROCESS For CAAs further from Chicago, a couple are interested in conference calls and smaller lunch and learn meetings. For a lot of the CAAs further from Chicago, traveling to the city for the meetings is a major logistical impediment to participation. q. This is more feasible due to capacity and length of a shorter meeting. q. Some other impediments include: being short staffed and having other trainings that require being away from the office for days.

III. FEEDBACK ON PROGRAMS There is widespread satisfaction with Resource Innovations (RI) as the implementation contractor and middle-person. q. According to a CAA, RI is very responsive and communicative with contracts. q. Another CAA mentioned how RI built a matrix to help them better understand the new utility programs.

III. FEEDBACK ON PROGRAMS CONTD. Several CAAs mentioned that the utility programs are still very new for them, so they currently do not have concrete feedback on program design. Leveraging the utility programs off the DCEO programs has been very helpful for program design and implementation success

IV. MARKETING Some marketing ideas and channels to reach urban IQ customers include: q. Electronic billboards, mass mailing, social media, bill inserts, pamphlets in local institutions such as library, schools etc. Some marketing ideas and channels to reach rural IQ customers include: q. Radio ads, television ads, newspapers, bill inserts.

V. ENERGY EFFICIENCY EDUCATION For IQ customers, the “energy efficiency” terminology can be a bit confusing. They have previously not been exposed to the term. q. When trying to market the programs to them, it may more effective to use the phrase “energy conservation” or “energy savings. ” To educate IQ customers on energy efficiency (particularly renters), some ideas include: q. Organize utility events in community spaces or perhaps a traveling trailer where the benefits and tips of EE are demonstrated for community members. q. EE Education can be done in collaboration with the community. The community is engaged to do the education, while the utilities provide the resources.

V. ENERGY EFFICIENCY EDUCATION CONTD. When educating IQ Customers about Energy Efficiency, particularly in underserved populations, be mindful of their specific needs and/or barriers. q“We must be mindful that certain immigrants may be fearful of applying for IQ programs. ” q. For instance, there needs to be targeted EE education to certain immigrant groups to ensure that they recognize that signing up for IQ programs do not count against citizenship but benefits their home and needs.

OUTSTANDING QUESTIONS AND NEXT STEPS q Next Steps: q Outreach will continue through 2019. q CBOs will be particularly engaged in 2019. q CAAs will also be re-engaged for another meeting in mid-2019 to solicit their feedback on program design. q Results will continue to be shared with the IQ North Committee. q Outreach strategies will be expanded for instance, with ‘Lunch and Learn Meetings. ’ q Based on these trends and feedback, are there any key questions and/or recommendations?

APPENDIX

INTRODUCTION: SUMMARY OF CAA MEETINGS This outreach was primarily focused on IQ North territory. As of 12/11/2018, the following CAAs have been met with: CAA Meeting Date Staff County(s) Kendall County Health Department 9/21/18 Program Administrator; Weatherization Administrator Kendall, Grundy Tri-County Opportunities Council 9/25/18 Executive Director; Weatherization Administrator Lasalle, Putnam, Marshall, Stark, Bureau, Lee, Ogle, Whiteside, Carroll Community Contacts 9/27/18 Executive Director Kane, Dekalb Rockford Human Services Department 10/5/18 Executive Director; Director of Community Services Boone, Winnebago Community Action Partnership 10/11/18 Executive Director; Weatherization Director Lake Project Now 10/15/18 Executive Director; Weatherization Director Henry, Mercer, Rock Island

SUMMARY OF CAA MEETINGS CONTD. The following CAAs have also been met with: CAA Meeting Date Staff County (s) Du. Page County Human Services 11/21/2018 Director; Administrator of Intake and Referral Du. Page Will County Center for Community Concerns 11/30/2018 Executive Director Will

SUMMARY OF CBO MEETINGS As of 12/11/2018, the following CBOs have been met with: CBO Meeting Date Staff County (s) Chicago Housing Authority 11/8/2018 Senior Energy Analyst Cook People for Community Recovery 11/14/2018 Executive Director Cook