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By SUSAN HAIGH
HARTFORD, Conn. (AP) — Roughly $3.6 billion in delayed funding for the Low Revenue Residence Vitality Help Program, or LIHEAP, was launched Friday to states and tribes, in accordance with the Nationwide Vitality Help Administrators Affiliation.
The federal funding for LIHEAP, which helps tens of millions of low-income households pay to warmth and funky their houses, has been held up throughout the starting of the cold-weather season due to the federal authorities shutdown, which ended Nov. 12.
“This launch of LIHEAP funding is crucial and lengthy overdue,” Mark Wolfe, government director of NEADA, mentioned in an announcement. “Households can lastly start receiving the assist they should maintain the warmth on as winter begins.”
States sometimes obtain their allocations in the beginning of November.
The U.S. Division of Well being and Human Companies, which oversees the help program, has not but issued a proper public announcement about resumption of the funding. After the federal shutdown ended, HHS mentioned one in every of its companies would “work swiftly to manage annual awards,” blaming the delay on congressional Democrats.
Wolfe mentioned state companies advised his group they’ve obtained award letters from HHS, enabling them to start distributing help to households.
A message was left looking for remark with HHS.
On Monday, a bipartisan group of U.S. Home members despatched a letter to HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. urging him to launch the LIHEAP funds by Nov. 30. Given the heating season has already began in lots of elements of the U.S., they mentioned “there isn’t a time to waste,” particularly for households that use house heating oil or propane. These fuels sometimes aren’t affected by state moratoriums on utility shutoffs throughout the winter months.
Roughly 68% of LIHEAP households additionally obtain SNAP meals advantages. Wolfe mentioned delays in each packages throughout the shutdown “put many households in an much more precarious scenario than regular.” Whereas Friday’s funding launch is welcome information, he mentioned the necessity for help “stays monumental,” particularly given rising vitality costs. He famous that arrearages stay close to report highs.
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