Energy and Weatherization Partnerships To Serve The Most Vulnerable Communities
August is the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) Action Month. And October is Energy Awareness and Weatherization Month. MCAP is partnering with the National Energy and Utility Affordability Coalition (NEUAC), Chaberton Energy and Maryland Office of the People’s Counsel to provide free resources to our Community Action Network. We work together to identify opportunities to support our programs and multiply the positive impacts for the people we serve.
Thousands of public gas customers nationwide rely on the direct financial assistance that LIHEAP funding provides, enabling them to ensure their energy needs are met. LIHEAP is funded via the congressional appropriations process, so continued education about the program with legislators on Capitol Hill is critically important. Congress returns to regular business the second week of September. Fiscal year (FY) 2025 regular funding will be at the top of the priority list for both chambers as both a federal funding deadline on September 30th and the upcoming election loom. Since the pandemic, overall funding for LIHEAP has decreased as emergency supplemental funding has been cut. Despite this, Congress has year-over-year chosen to increase the regular funding for the program on a bipartisan basis. Funding proposals in both the House and Senate currently include language that would modestly increase LIHEAP funding for FY25. August is the perfect time to make it clear to legislators that the need for additional funding for LIHEAP is great.
According to NEAUC, “[LIHEAP] targets and serves the most vulnerable – older Americans, individuals with disabilities, and children. The majority of these families and individuals survive on less than $20,000 per year; many are on fixed incomes. Their pay does not increase when the cost of heating and cooling their homes increases.” APGA staff also know that the number of households applying for and receiving energy assistance is increasing rapidly. The National Energy Assistance Directors Association (NEADA) tells us, “About 7.3 million households received energy assistance in FY 2023, an increase of about 1.5 million, from 5.8 million in FY 2022.”
Consider taking advantage of the resources available to public gas systems on NEAUC’s website to advocate in support of additional funding for LIHEAP.
Resources include:
- Sample social media posts
- Fact sheets and statistics
- Sample letters to the editor (LTE) for your local newspapers
- Coloring pages for children
- Sample letters to policymakers on Capitol Hill
Find resources and more here. The MCAP staff will continue to advocate for sufficient funding for LIHEAP on Capitol Hill and will provide updates on the appropriations process when possible. For more information on this advocacy priority, click here.
To learn more about opportunities to gain insights through MCAP partnerships, please visit our website dedicated to CAP Connections: Partner Resource Fairs.
