"We must speak to them with our hands before we try to speak to them with our lips." -St. Peter Claver

With the fresh autumn air beginning to bite at our heels, many of us are opening our arms to the change in the season. While many were sunning themselves on the beaches, Congress was already looking to the winter months and the ways in which the federal government was going to help alleviate some of the hardship brought on by the cold weather. Every year, a substantial amount of money is given by the government to each state to support those who may be experiencing energy turn-offs and limited resources with which to heat their homes. LIHEAP, Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program, has been given $5.1 billion this year from Congress to be divided among each state according to need. Pennsylvania has received a $275 million grant, a number comparable to the allocation from last year.

The grant is intended to provide cash assistance to families who are experiencing financial hardship to use towards energy costs for the winter months. It is broken down into three categories, cash grants, crisis grants, and weatherization efforts. The cash grants historically have been disbursed from November 1st until the middle of January, the crisis grants given as needed from the middle of January until April, and the weatherization grants are given throughout the winter months to provide families with the tools to reduce their heating costs. In order to qualify for LIHEAP assistance, households must fall below 60% of the state median income. For Pennsylvania, that number is $44,443 per year for a family of four.

Because LIHEAP funds, and all federal funds, cannot be guaranteed year-to-year, Pennsylvania has put a substantial amount of the LIHEAP grant this year towards weatherization efforts, attempting to better insulate houses so eventually less cash and crisis grants would need to be given. It sounds great in theory, but in the meantime, families are being left in the cold.

Additionally, PA LIHEAP is looking to reduce the amount of time in which the grants would be disbursed, from 8 weeks to just 4, from December 1st until January 3rd. Because the utility shut-off moratorium (a pre-set amount of time in which peoples’ utilities may not be shut off during the winter months) does not begin until December, many people will be struggling through the month of November and the risk of utility shut-off is heightened.

The Public Utility Commission criticizes Pennsylvania’s new plan for the LIHEAP grant, claiming that things should be left the way they are. In fact, many critics of Pennsylvania’s plan are anxious for the annual Energy Assistance meeting that takes place in Philadelphia in the fall to voice concern and opposition to the new plan. Many are concerned, and they should be.

I am unsure of the malleability of the new plan and if there is any hope for change at the big meeting that is to come, but I hope and pray that the state knows what it is doing and is looking out for the good of its constituents, especially those most in need.