Letters for LIHEAP
Ask Your Representative to Increase Funding for LIHEAP, a Vital Energy Assistance Program
Deaths caused by extreme temperatures in Indiana are projected to double by 2050, and as our winters get colder and summers get hotter, our electric bills rise are rising faster than overall inflation during the cost-of-living crisis. This also comes at a time when nearly 1 in 3 low-income Hoosiers struggles to pay their energy bill at least once over the course of a year, causing them to forgo other necessities such as food, medical care, or school supplies to compensate. Disconnection still happens to 1 in 10 low-income Hoosiers at least once each year, leaving households in potentially life-threatening situations.
Since 1981, the federally-funded Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) has provided financial assistance for paying rising electricity bills in crucial winter months. In Indiana, 109,750 households are helped each year by this program, with the vast majority of this funding going towards heating assistance. But these households represent only 16 percent of those eligible–a total of 689,734 households. As winters get colder, summers get hotter, and cost of living stretches budgets thinner, it is imperative to not only continue funding LIHEAP in the coming budget year but to increase the amount of funds available to not just keep pace with inflation, but to outpace it so that more families can benefit from the program. This year, despite being a lifeline to safety for families, Energy Assistance Program Benefits including LIHEAP are lower. Please join the Institute in contacting your representatives to urge them to increase funding.Note: Anyone in need of a warming center during cold weather should contact 2-1-1 for information and resources.
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