November 2, 2011
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WASHINGTON, DC – November 2, 2011 – (RealEstateRama) – U.S. Senators Frank R. Lautenberg (D-NJ) and Robert Menendez (D-NJ) today announced the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has released $72.1 million for the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) in New Jersey. The program provides critical assistance to low-income families who struggle each winter to pay their energy bills.
“This federal funding offers New Jerseyans critical assistance to pay their energy bills and keep their families warm,” said Senator Lautenberg, a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, which funds HHS. “No family should ever have to choose between heating their home or putting food on the table. As winter approaches and temperatures begin to drop, this funding will provide relief for hundreds of thousands of New Jersey families.”
“LIHEAP literally provides a lifeline for hundreds of thousands of NJ seniors, low income families with children and laid off workers who simply cannot afford to heat their homes. If this weekend’s storm is any indication, this winter is going to be incredibly tough, and combined with a rough economy, we will likely see a record number of applications for help. That’s why Senator Lautenberg and I pushed so hard to get this funding out of Washington and into New Jersey’s homes as soon as possible,” said Senator Menendez.
On October 18th, Senators Lautenberg and Menendez joined a bipartisan group of their Senate colleagues in sending a letter to HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius requesting the quick release of LIHEAP funding so that state agencies could begin determining the level of heating assistance for this coming winter.
LIHEAP assists qualified families with their home energy needs such as heating in the winter, cooling their homes in the summer, and insulating their homes to make them more efficient and reduce their energy costs. According to the Campaign for Home Energy Assistance, more than 380,000 people in New Jersey received assistance heating their homes last winter. For more information on the LIHEAP program in New Jersey, call 1-800-510-3102 or visit http://www.state.nj.us/dca/divisions/dhcr/offices/heausfincomefact.html
