Baby, it’s gonna be cold outside … keep heating assistance for low-income families alive
This is a post about gas. I’m not talking about the kind that makes you feel bloated or that fills your car,
but the kind that heats your house and makes your water warm. I have enjoyed a nice, warm summer, an Indian summer in my cozy town in Southeastern Wisconsin. Opening up the storage closet today made me realize just how soon this warm weather will be replaced by cool fall days that will morph into blustery winter ones.
My energy bill will also go through a metamorphosis … that’s why I chose the ‘budget plan’ a year ago.
What about the renters and homeowners who won’t be helped by a budget plan? Where can financially distressed homeowners find assistance to offset the expenses of their heating bills? In 1982, a program called LIHEAP (Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program) was created to help low-income and elderly families with their heating bills.
Last year, I wrote about LIHEAP and a coalition of United States senators that requested President Bush to release a contingency fund to $20 million for the year 2008 for LIHEAP.
This hasn’t happened yet and it appears funding for LIHEAP has been cut back further. Some states have turned to renewable energy solutions, while others are tapping into state funds or borrowing from collective regional funds to assist homeowners in need.
It ain’t over ’til it’s over. Yes, the President has proposed a 22 percent cut in FY2009 for LIHEAP funding, but with the presidential campaign in its last heated, breathy months, this will be an issue picked up off the cutting-room floor.
Meanwhile, you don’t have to sit around and wait for movement to occur.
Here are three ways you can support LIHEAP funding:
- Watch the election campaigns and listen to each candidate’s stance on LIHEAP funding.
- Write your members of Congress to show your support for LIHEAP funding.
- Visit and help a neighbor in need. This might be the fastest path and the one of least resistance.
Baby, it’s gonna be cold outside … keep heating assistance for low-income families alive.
Posted by Rebecca D. Levinson
Tags: Connect2Agent, energy assistance, LIHEAP, LIHEAP funding