LIHEAP energy aid program seen as 'lifeline' for many Pa. households

Yahoo

04-05-2025

Editor's note: Federal Fallout is a Tribune-Democrat news series addressing the potential local impact of funding cuts.
JOHNSTOWN, Pa. – Lisa Golden has used the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program for more than 25 years, and she describes the federally funded service as a beneficial resource for her family.
'LIHEAP has helped our family by ensuring we are safe and our furnace and heat works properly,' she said. 'It also helps to make ends (meet) a bit easier with the funds that go directly to the company and lowers our bill.'
She has accessed LIHEAP not only for utility bill assistance – last year, when the furnace in her Johnstown home stopped working, she and her husband, Phillip Grayson, applied for and were awarded crisis funds to fix it.
In April, all staffers who oversee the federally funded LIHEAP were fired as part of a U.S. Department of Health and Human Services plan to terminate 10,000 of its 80,000 employees.
At this time, all LIHEAP funding for the 2024-25 season, which was extended by two weeks to an April 18 deadline, is secure, Pennsylvania Department of Human Services press secretary Brandon Cwalina said.
Despite that, 'continued federal funding and support are critical to DHS' ability to provide uninterrupted assistance for Pennsylvanians during the next winter season,' Cwalina said.
When Golden learned of the impact on LIHEAP staff, she said the news 'brought anxiety' to her life.
'When I found out, it was very sad,' she said. 'I was not surprised by the fact the staff is gone and the program won't have anyone to distribute any funds.'
Golden said LIHEAP is necessary for a variety of people, adding that her husband works full-time. She said it's 'such a shame so many will suffer,' especially in Cambria County, which she assumes 'is very dependent' on this type of service.
According to state DHS data, 5,975 people in Cambria County for the 2024-25 period to date relied on the assistance; that's a decline from 2019-20, when the number was 6,253. In Somerset County, there were 3,365 residents who accessed the service to date, which is a slight downturn from the 2019-20 figure of 3,405.
Golden said that as federal downsizing continues since President Donald Trump's administration took office, she 'assumed it was only a matter of time' until programs such as LIHEAP were affected.
LIHEAP was created in 1981 and provides cash grants sent directly to utility or fuel companies to help millions of residents each year heat and cool their homes. Grant periods are open from November through April, and funding can range from $200 to $1,000 based on household size, income and fuel type.
Those eligible fall at or below 150% of the Federal Poverty Limit, which is a gross income of $22,590 per year for an individual and $46,800 per year for a family of four.
There are also crisis grants, such as the one Golden received, of $25 to $1,000 that can help pay for broken heating equipment or leaking lines, shut-off of the main heating source, the danger of being without fuel and related expenses.
'LIHEAP helps our community's most vulnerable citizens – children, older Pennsylvanians, people with disabilities and low-income families – make ends meet and keep their homes safer,' state DHS Secretary Valerie Arkoosh said in a release about the LIHEAP season extension.
Congress allocated more than $4 billion to the program for the fiscal year 2025, with $378 million of that amount not released until this week.
Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission Chairman Stephen M. DeFrank, Vice Chair Kimberly M. Barrow and Commissioner Kathryn L. Zerfuss released a joint statement expressing concern about the HHS staffing cuts that impacted the assistance program.
'LIHEAP is a lifeline for Pennsylvania's most vulnerable households, including seniors, children and individuals with disabilities,' Zerfuss said in the letter. 'It ensures that these families are able to stay connected to essential utility services – keeping their homes safe and warm, particularly during the harsh winter months. As consumers face increasing financial pressures, it's critical that we preserve this program to protect their well-being.'
The National Consumer Law Center and the National Energy Assistance Directors Association also released a joint statement addressing LIHEAP's impact.
'LIHEAP saves lives, and it has helped keep home energy more affordable for over 40 years,' NCLC senior attorney Olivia Wein said in the statement. 'It's critical that HHS ensure there is no disruption to the administration of the LIHEAP program in order to protect families during future hot summers and cold winters.'
According to the most recent Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission report of 2023, an average of 18.8% of electric customers in the state used LIHEAP in 2021. The percentage was 22.9% the next year and 21% in 2023.
For gas customers, the average LIHEAP participation rate was 37.7% in 2021, 53.1% in 2022 and 46.3% in 2023, the report stated.
Those figures were determined by dividing the number of LIHEAP cash grants by the number of confirmed low-income customers for each public utility and are on par with 2017-19 averages.
During the 2023-24 LIHEAP season – the most recent information available – 302,356 households throughout the state received $113,068,913 in cash benefits, according to DHS. Additionally, approximately 115,614 households statewide got $63,355,913 in crisis benefits for that season, state officials said.
FirstEnergy spokesman Todd Meyers said the company's human services is waiting on decisions at the federal level to better understand any impacts to LIHEAP and Pennsylvania customers.
'While we do not have an update yet, we continue to monitor the situation closely to understand any impact to the administration of the LIHEAP program,' he said.
In the meantime, Meyers pointed to other electrical service assistance programs that can help Pennsylvania customers, including the Pennsylvania Customer Assistance Program, the Dollar Energy Fund and the 211 helpline.
'It is critical for customers who are having difficulty paying their electric bills to contact us so we can help match them to programs that meet their circumstance,' Meyers said. 'We can't know why they need help unless they reach out to us.'
Golden said her family does use other programs, including the Customer Assistance Program and PCAP, and they will be investigating the Dollar Energy Fund and weatherization offerings.
Karen Struble Myers, United Way of the Southern Alleghenies president and CEO, said she anticipates a need for local funding to help fill gaps following the federal staffing cuts.
'Although this didn't provide any material changes to Pennsylvania's LIHEAP program ... continued federal funding and support are critical to the commonwealth's ability to provide uninterrupted assistance for Pennsylvanians during the next winter season,' she said.
Struble Myers said the future of navigating these issues will include challenges.
The United Way is one of several groups that facilitate the 211 helpline, a 24/7 hotline that can connect qualifying clients with needed programs, from preschool and rental assistance to LIHEAP.
Madeline Burrows accessed LIHEAP from 2019-22, and she said the help was necessary or she would have ended up sleeping on friends' couches or freezing.
'The program made my house survivable during the winter, not comfortable,' she said.
Burrows struggled with broken windows and sealed them with plastic and blankets after high school while working part-time and attempting to attend college classes, she said. During that time, her furnace broke and needed multiple repairs.
'Poverty was a gateway to financial crisis after financial crisis,' Burrows said. 'I often didn't know what crisis to try and fix before three new ones appeared.'
Burrows said she has 'a lot of fear for what will happen to people in our community' with the future of LIHEAP uncertain.
'Johnstown is consistently ranked as one of the poorest cities in the state,' she said. 'Most people I know here either rely on assistance now or did in the past. People not receiving assistance here is nothing but torture.'