Valley households fear they won't afford utilities as HEAP funding uncertainty looms
A shakeup in Washington could affect Ohioans who rely on help to keep the lights and the heat on.
The federal government fired the staff responsible for distributing energy assistance funds, raising questions about what happens next.
The Home Energy Assistance Program (HEAP) helps low-income households cover utility costs.
But last week, the White House terminated the federal team overseeing HEAP for the past 40 years, leaving uncertainty about how or if the next round of funds will be distributed, with $15 million still on the table this year in Ohio alone.
Mark Wolfe, an energy economist and Executive Director of the National Energy Assistance Directors Association, said there's nothing like this has been done before, but if the funding went away, it would cause lots of problems.
"It'll raise the cost for everybody in Ohio," Wolfe said, "because what utilities will have to do is absorb some of the costs for poor families who can't pay their bills by raising rates for everyone else."
Around nine thousand Valley households received HEAP help last year.
"A lot of people rely on it so that they can either get help with their bill, their winter heating bill," MYCAP HEAP Director Joan Trgovac said, "with a one-time payment from the state, or with crisis payment if something has happened and they are not able to afford to keep their services on."
Seniors are among the most vulnerable locally and throughout the state of Ohio.
"It's going to be hard," Gerie Morar of Austintown said. "I rely on it."
"We need this benefit," Stephanie Kovach of Austintown added, "Without this benefit, you know, there's going to be a lot of people without heat."
Wolfe adds that as energy costs continue to climb, the future of HEAP funds is a big priority for many.
"I think people don't understand how many low-income people there are in the country," he said.
Wolfe said that as it stands, the HEAP program remains, but there are a lot of questions about what comes next and if the state will receive the essential funding to sustain the program.
"I think that's the bigger story that's evolving, is how much discretion will Congress allow the administration to have after they passed the spending bill, because if, in fact, the administration doesn't have to follow the spending bill, then what's the role of Congress?" Wolfe asked.
