Thousands of low income Wyomingites rely on a program that helps pay winter heating bills. But as of Oct. 15, it’s run out of money.
The Wyoming Low Income Energy Assistance Program (LIEAP) is federally funded. So once the federal government shut down, the clock was ticking on the program’s budget.
“We did have some money left, so we were able to open the program, but unfortunately, we no longer have money,” said Kelly Douglas, LIEAP’s public information officer.
Douglas said they had $1.1 million rolled over from last year’s budget to fund some households for the winter. The 1,168 who already received an approval letter from LIEAP this fall will get heating bill assistance through May.
But that’s all they can promise for now. About six weeks into opening up the application period, LIEAP is pausing any new approvals. The Department of Family Services (DFS), which funds LIEAP, is tied up in the government shutdown.
“What we need is for the federal government to reopen, Congress to pass a spending bill and DFS needs to receive the funding,” said Douglas. “Then we could start up again.”
Last winter, LIEAP used $6.1 million of federal funding to help 8,236 Wyoming households. This year was no exception.
“We expected to help as many as we could, and we knew that heating costs were higher this year,” Douglas said, adding they had unprecedented high call volume for the program in September.
Electricity bills have edged higher over the last few years. Utility companies attributed the rate hikes to higher fuel costs, like natural gas and coal; investing in new infrastructure, like transmission lines and wind projects; and affording rising insurance costs related to wildfires.
Households that qualify for LIEAP have to be at or below 60% of the Wyoming state median income. For example, a household of four people has to have a total adjusted annual income of $68,902 or less.
But, if LIEAP doesn’t get additional federal funding, Douglas said thousands of Wyomingites will go without the help this winter.
“This is a crisis prevention program, and it really is focused on helping people keep heat in their home,” she said. “If your home doesn't have heat, that's a crisis in itself.”
Douglas said if LIEAP can’t help, people should contact their utility company for reduced rate programs, call Wyoming’s free resource line at 211, and reach out to Energy Share of Wyoming, a nonprofit that helps people with energy-related emergencies.
In the meantime, Douglas encouraged people to still submit their LIEAP applications in hopes they will be able to give out more money when the federal government re-opens.
