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LIHEAP Funds Released

By Dave Schryver posted 11-01-2018 10:08 AM

  
On October 26, the Office of Community Services (OCS) at the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) released Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) funds for the 2019 fiscal year. LIHEAP is a federal block grant program that provides money to low-income individuals/families to help them meet their energy needs. The program receives an annual appropriation from Congress through the Labor and Health and Human Services (Labor-HHS) Appropriations bill. The funding level provided for fiscal year 2019 was $3.65 billion.

APGA is pleased with the increase in funding and had signed on to a letter sent to congressional appropriations committees asking them to maintain or increase the amount of LIHEAP funding for fiscal year 2019. APGA continues to push for full funding at the authorized $5.1 billion level as LIHEAP assistance continues to play a critical role in helping low-income families meet their energy needs. Without LIHEAP funding assistance many low-income families face the difficult choice between paying their energy bills versus paying for other necessities, such as healthcare, food and childcare.

For questions on this article, please contact Todd Brady of APGA staff by phone at 202-464-2742 or by email at tbrady@apga.org.

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