Senator Coons and 38 of his colleagues have sent a letter to President Obama urging the inclusion of robust funding for the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) in the administration’s next budget proposal, due early next year.
Chris has been a long-time advocate for LIHEAP, which provides critical assistance for low-income families and seniors struggling to pay their energy bills. In 2012, LIHEAP helped more than 25,000 Delaware families during the winter and summer months.
LIHEAP is an essential service for many of our nation’s most vulnerable populations. The National Energy Assistance Directors’ Association found that more than 90 percent of LIHEAP homes have at least one child, senior, or person with disability.
“For these households, LIHEAP funding has been a lifeline during challenging economic times,” the senators wrote. “Access to affordable home energy is not a luxury – it is a matter of health and safety.”
LIHEAP also delivers significant economic benefits to recipients and their local communities. By lowering energy bills, the program ensures families do not need to choose between heating their homes and putting food on the table. Energy assistance frees up resources that recipients can use to buy groceries, medicines, and other essential goods, which in turn helps local economies grow. One study by economists Mark Zandi and Alan Blinder found that every dollar invested in LIHEAP generates $1.13 in economic activity.