PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — With three weeks remaining for low-income families to get help with utility bills through a well-known utility assistance program, Pennsylvania is running out of money because Congress is withholding any remaining funds.
Some states contribute to the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program, known as LIHEAP which helps low-income households pay heating bills and restore service. Since hundreds of thousands of Pennsylvanians depend on it, the hold-up in releasing the funds would impact the most vulnerable residents.
But Pennsylvania runs its entire program on federal funds so the budget dispute in Washington means a $2 million shortfall.
Department of Human Services Secretary Val Arkoosh has announced the state is pausing cash grants till the situation is resolved but will not shorten the season and will continue to issue crisis payments for those in imminent danger of a heat shut-off.
Lydia Gottesfeld, Managing Attorney of Community Legal Services Health and Independence Unit, says although she’s pleased the state is continuing applications and crisis grants, the situation shows the need for the state to put money into the program.
“We’ve pushed Pennsylvania to expand our LIHEAP programs so we cover not only heating season but cooling season and to put state funds in the program,” she said. “Having state funds in the program would mitigate this crisis that we’re dealing with right now.”
Gottesfeld expects the budget dispute to be resolved before LIHEAP closes on April 5th.