LIHEAP

[rurallib]

I made a comment on my blog post last week about LIHEAP (http://www.blogforiowa.com/2011/11/12/my-attempt-at-alternative-heat-the-corn-stove/).
Since then it has been bothering the hell out of me to find out what the situation is.
Today I had some time. I started by corresponding with a congressional assistant. He told me that Congress grants a block of money that is then allocated to the states. It is then up to the states to administer.

My question is simply this - if the funding has been cut nearly in half what happens to those who need assistance when the money runs out in February. My logic there being that cut in half, the assistance will last half a winter.

The congressional assistant referred me to the governor's office which has yet to return my call. But I decided to google to see if anyone was working on this issue. I found a group called liheap.org. They had much interesting information, but their mission was essentially to advocate for federal funds and thus knew little about how it was administered. I was referred to a referral service that brought me back around to a new telephone number in our state capitol.

The young man who answered did not have much information, but did give me the number (for tomorrow) of someone who actually did the work.
What i was able to find out, though, is that all the money has yet to be allocated. It is tied up in the continuing resolution budget crap that the Republicans have dumped on this country. So they are still not sure how much total they will get. They think they have already received most of it.
And the money they received is about half of what they got last year.

Does anyone know any more about LIHEAP's situation?

I fear this could be a disastrous winter.

[Freddie Stubbs]

1. They will probably increase the eligibility requirements, so that

those who start receiving the aid will continue to receive it for the entire winter.

[evrstrong]

4. It's a lump sum...

so it's a matter of how you use it.

Families can choose to heat just one room, for example.

Sucks for little kids.

[TheWraith]

2. What do you mean, cut in half?

"My logic there being that cut in half, the assistance will last half a winter."

Are you referring to the return to the regular levels after the Obama admin temporarily doubled it during the height of oil price spikes? Or is this something else?

[truebrit71]

3. Yes he is referring to that CUT that Obama is making...

..as heating oil prices continue to increase...

http://www.eia.gov/petroleum/heatingoilpropane/

I don't care how you fucking parse it, this is a CUT....

Nice try though :eyes:

[TheWraith]

5. Right, and Obama's also raising taxes.

By letting the Bush tax cuts expire. Pull the other one.

[truebrit71]

7. Ummm....if he did that (fat chance) yes he would be raising taxes...

Let's say he had a box with ten balls in it, and he reduced that number by five...did he ADD to the number of balls, or did he CUT the number of balls in the box?

He is CUTTING the heating assistance that folks receive...the fact that he RAISED them initially doesn't mean that by providing LESS this year, he isn't CUTTING the assistance people get..It doesn't matter WHO raised them, he is the one REDUCING them...

Oh, and heating oil prices are still going up so he looses on that argument too...

Pull the other one indeed...

[emcguffie]

6. I think it's handed out first come first served, to those that meet --

-- the qualifications. When they run out, they run out.

[davsand]

8. I think that is how it has been done here in Illinois in prior years.

That program is administered locally out of the same building I work in. In years past, they'd put signs on the doors saying something like "funds have been exhausted, no new applications being accepted" or something like that...



Laura

[Fire Walk With Me]

9. This winter will serve to deepen the publics' understanding of broken government

and that we must take care of each other.

#Occupy!