Arkansas needs additional funding to help residents heat their homes in light of the uncharacteristically cold temperatures this winter, U.S. Senator Blanche Lincoln said today. Lincoln joined representatives from the Arkansas Community Action Agencies Association and the Arkansas Department of Human Services, as well as the President and CEO of Entergy, Arkansas, Inc. to advocate for increased funding for the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP), a combined effort of local, state and federal government that helps thousands of low- to- moderate-income Arkansans pay for home energy.
"I have always been a strong supporter of LIHEAP, a vital program that provides life-saving resources to families who face high energy bills," Lincoln said. "With the record-breaking cold weather that recently gripped Arkansans for weeks, families were forced to use more energy. This will inevitably lead to higher energy bills in the weeks ahead. Arkansans are lining up, sometimes for hours, to apply for LIHEAP, including an unusually large number of seniors, the under-employed, as well as many who are applying for the first time in their lives. It is stories like these that have convinced me that LIHEAP must be better funded nationally, and especially here in Arkansas."
This year, Arkansas is set to receive $36.4 million in LIHEAP funds to assist 75,000 households in the state, including a growing number of working families that are struggling through tough economic times. The funds are provided through the FY2010 Labor-Health and Human Services appropriations bill, which Lincoln supported.
Given the state of the economy and unusually cold temperatures, Lincoln sent a letter to President Obama this January asking for the release of additional LIHEAP contingency funds. President Obama soon announced that $490 million in LIHEAP contingency funds would be released, including an additional $3.5 million for Arkansas.
LIHEAP provides one-time payments of up to help defray the cost of home energy; the total payment amount depends on individuals' circumstances, annual income, and family size. Payments are made directly to the electric and gas utilities.
Applications for the LIHEAP program were taken at today's event at the Arts and Crafts Building at the state fairgrounds in Little Rock between 8 a.m. and 3 p.m. Lincoln joined Rose Adams, Executive Director of the Arkansas Community Action Agencies Association; Hugh McDonald, President of Entergy Arkansas; Thomas Green, Assistant Director of the state Office of Community Services; and Jema Quintana, a former LIHEAP client and now LIHEAP worker.