| The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), through the Administration for Children and Families (ACF), announced the award of $560 million this week in addition to the $1 billion awarded last month for a total of $1.56 billion to help cover American households home heating and cooling costs. The grant awards are part of the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) to help low-income households with their energy costs – a program that the Biden Administration significantly increased funding for through the American Rescue Plan and the Bipartisan Infrastructure law. This past year, LIHEAP served over 6 million households with heating, cooling, and weatherization services. This release brings the total LIHEAP funding for Fiscal Year 2023 to $6.1 billion, and is part of the Biden Administration’s broader efforts to lower costs for American families and give them more breathing room. LIHEAP is especially important to creating greater equity in accessing energy services. It provides households with not only energy assistance, but also provides crisis and weatherization assistance to help achieve safe and healthy indoor temperatures. LIHEAP’s assistance with weatherization and energy-related minor home repairs, including the use of renewable energy, helps reduce energy consumption and make homes more energy efficient. Individuals interested in applying for energy assistance should visit energyhelp.us or call the National Energy Assistance Referral hotline toll-free at 1-866-674-6327. For more information about LIHEAP and other Administration for Children and Families’ anti-poverty programs, visit the OCS website. |
###########