U.S. Senator Susan Collins today announced that the President has directed the Secretary of Health and Human Services to release $5.1 billion in funding for the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP). Of that, Maine will receive $79,186,986 to help low income and elderly families who are struggling with record home heating oil prices. This is a 72 percent increase over the $46 million Maine received last year for LIHEAP.
Maine’s funding will take the form of $49,456,684 in base funding and $29,730,302 in contingency funding.
“This is very good news,” said Senator Collins. “This impending winter will bring a sharp increase in applications for LIHEAP assistance. This funding will go a long way to helping low income Mainers stay warm this winter.”
Last month, Senator Collins announced the release of over $7 million in contingency LIHEAP funding.
Each year, 4.5 million low-income families, including about 48,000 households in Maine, rely on LIHEAP to assist with the costs of heating their homes. LIHEAP is a federal grant program that provides states with annual funding to operate home energy assistance programs for low-income households. In addition to helping to pay energy bills for low-income families and the elderly, LIHEAP helps to fund energy crisis intervention programs, low-cost residential weatherization and other energy-related home repairs.
At previous levels, the LIHEAP program could assist only 15 percent of those Americans eligible for assistance.