Casey Has Pushed for Additional Funding, Expedited Release of Current Resources to Aid Seniors, Families in State Struggling with Cold / $1 in LIHEAP Spending Generates $1.13 in Economic Growth / In 2013, LIHEAP Provided Assistance to Over 390,000 Households, Yet Nationally Only 20% of Those Eligible Access Program
Washington, DC- Today, U.S. Senator Bob Casey (D-PA) announced that the state of Pennsylvania will receive an additional $18,050,835 in heating assistance funds, for a total of over $204 million in fiscal year 2015. In the past year, Senator Casey has pushed for an increased investment in the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) and has called on the Administration to expedite the release of funds to Pennsylvania’s seniors and families who are struggling with the cold. Economic data shows that $1 in LIHEAP spending generates $1.13 in economic growth.
“I’m pleased that seniors and working families in Pennsylvania will have additional resources to stay warm during these cold months,” Senator Casey said. “LIHEAP has a significant impact for those families and provides a positive boost to the economy. I’m hopeful that Congress will increase investment in heating assistance, especially at a time when only 20% of those eligible are accessing the program.”
The Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) is administered by the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and is designed to assist low income households, particularly those with the lowest incomes that pay a high proportion of household income for home energy, primarily in meeting their immediate home energy needs.
Senator Casey has been backing the push in the U.S. Senate to increase LIHEAP funding since he came to the Senate in 2007. Today’s injection of funds comes at critical time for many Pennsylvanians who are struggling to heat their homes as during the cold winter months.
