From Pennsylvania to Alabama, Residents Seek Heating Assistance

Posted by Kyle Hammond on January 8, 2010 at 11:40 am

(image: lolla_sig via flickr.com)

This winter the onset of frigid temperatures has only added additional strife to many Americans who are already struggling to deal with a crumbling economy. Recently, numerous news outlets have reported that Americans from Pennsylvania to warmer states such as South Carolina and Alabama are struggling to keep their homes warm. The combination of cold weather and economic hardship has resulted in a dramatic increase in appeals for heating assistance.

According to DailyPress.com, in Virginia alone assistance requests rose from 108,040 in 2008 to 122,625 in 2009, an increase of over 13 percent—a remarkable number given that the heating season still has several months left. In James City County, Virginia, the number of households requesting fuel assistance is already up to 700, over two hundred more than all of last year. CarolinaLive.com has reported that in Waccamaw, South Carolina, requests for heating assistance have already resulted in a waiting list of over 500 people.

Much of the heating assistance addressed in these reports refers to the federal program known as the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP). A part of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Administration for Children and Families, LIHEAP is a state-implemented program that works to help low income households meet immediate home energy needs. According to DailyPress.com, the National Energy Assistance Directors’ Association—which manages LIHEAP—expects a 20 percent rise in assistance requests this winter and believes that the level of current funding will not be enough, despite a $2.5 billion increase in funding for 2009.

In addition to LIHEAP, numerous Americans have received assistance from local programs. Pennsylvania’s the Daily Review notes that people in Towanda, Northeast Bradford, and Wyalusing are looking to nonprofit and religious organizations for assistance, in addition to federal funding. The Dothan Eagle has reported that religious and nonprofit organizations in Dothan, Alabama, have incurred a significant rise in requests for heating assistance and shelter admission.

Despite the rise in requests for heating assistance this winter, many Americans are not aware of programs designed to help those in need. DailyPress.com reports that although LIHEAP assistance was available, nearly “4.3 million households across the country had their power turned off due to lack of payment in 2009.”

With winter not even half way over, it may be comforting for many Americans to know that despite economic hardship, help is available to assist those struggling to keep their homes warm this winter.