LIHEAP Assists Iowans in the aftermath of Winter Storm Polly

Writing and Reporting by Jake Brown

Winter storm Polly visited Iowa this winter, and her effects are still lingering. News coverage reported continued snow and ice hitting the state, and larger impacts to the region as "snow is flying across parts of Kansas into Nebraska, the Dakotas, Iowa, and southwestern Minnesota."

Winter storms are a normal feature of winters in the Upper Midwest, and programs like LIHEAP have been a critical component of health and safety for decades. Back in 2002, longtime Iowa U.S. Senator Chuck Grassley touted the support of energy assistance for Iowans: “People will look to programs like LIHEAP to help them keep warm this winter…Adequate funding for LIHEAP is essential to provide meaningful aid to families struggling to pay their monthly bills. It helps those on fixed incomes to stay warm at home in the winter months and pay for other necessities like prescription medicine and groceries.” 

Nearly 20 years later, those comments appear to be frozen in truth. In an interview with LIHEAP.org, the State of Iowa's LIHEAP/Energy Assistance Bureau Chief Christine Taylor underscored the constant importance of raising awareness about LIHEAP. Taylor noted that "only 26% of the eligible households in Iowa apply for assistance each year. The other 74% is at risk of being disconnected or choosing between heating their home or purchasing much needed medication or food for their families.”

Local NBC affiliate Channel 13 revealed that through the winter of 2018 thus far, “the funding translates into keeping almost 200,000 Iowans warm each winter.” Director Taylor added more details, noting that Iowa has had 73,264 households apply to the program and 67,420 were approved.

"During the same timeframe in FY17, we had 71,676 households apply with 67,096 approved," Director Taylor added, noting an increase in this winter's application numbers. This increase in need comes on the heels of an announcement from the White House through its proposed elimination of LIHEAP in the FY2019 budget. Program elimination means funding decreases for those most assisted by the program, including households across multiple demographics from single mothers and their children to the elderly and Military members returning home from active duty.

Director Taylor explained that “because Iowa is mainly rural, cuts to the program would affect a large amount of our eligible population. Veterans, of course, live everywhere in Iowa and would be equally impacted.  Iowa most certainl agrees that LIHEAP is a life-saving program.”

Partnerships between other longtime allies have been helpful in both outreach and additional funding avenues. Iowa radio station 105.7 KOKZ shared reminders to residents about upcoming deadlines for the program, and collaborations among key collaborators in the region, including MidAmerican Energy, Alliant, and the Iowa Utilities Board, also garnered public interest. In particular, Upper Des Moines Opportunity, a prominent community action agency, accepted a generous donation of $76,070.16 from Alliant Energy’s Hometown Care Fund. The funds were intended to supplement state LIHEAP funds. Alliant's total contribution to the area at large was over $3 million, raised via contributions from individual residents, 'shareowners', employees, and retirees. Jamey M. Whitney, Executive Director of the Upper Des Moines Opportunity, expressed his gratitude to Alliant for the "generous donations to assist low-income individuals and families with their utility costs.  It is by generosity such as this that we can truly make a difference in the lives of our customers.” 

With a second White House budget in two years proposing the elimination of this vital program altogether, Director Taylor painted a vivid picture of the potential fallout for the families who depend year in and out on the helping hand of energy assistance. Taylor noted that “the impact of cuts to the LIHEAP would be immense. ithout LIHEAP assistance, over 80,000 individuals each year would be at risk of not having life-saving heat during winter months. With every dollar that funding decreases, fewer income-eligible households would be assisted.”

Keeping Minnesotans Safe From the Cold

Writing and Reporting by Jake Brown

There is a rule in the land of 10,000 lakes that kicks in with Minnesota's legendary cold weather. This rule, the Cold Weather Rule, is an extra layer of insulation for families struggling with the spike in winter heating bills. It is designed to protect households heating with gas or electricity from utility service disconnections from October 15 to April 15 each year. Public utilities, cooperative electric associations, and municipal utilities are prohibited from disconnecting heating customers who apply for protection with their utility, agree to a payment plan, and make regular payments. The Cold Weather Rule applies to customers of any income level if the customer completes the payment agreement and makes timely payments. Unfortunately, the Cold Weather Rule does not cover households using propane, fuel oil, or wood for heating sources.

Fortunately, LIHEAP (which supports Minnesota’s Energy Assistance Program, or EAP) is available to help low-income Minnesotans stay safe and healthy. Underscoring just how vital LIHEAP funds are to families around the state, LIHEAP State Office Director John Harvanko  tells LIHEAP.org that in addition to the thousands of households served in the Minneapolis/St Paul metropolitan area," the impact of the Energy Assistance Program is most profound in rural/greater Minnesota.” Harvanko explains that due partly to higher fuel costs in rural Minnesota, two-thirds of EAP funds serve Minnesota households outside of the Minneapolis/St. Paul metropolitan area. For example, in Federal Fiscal Year 2016 (FFY2016) $61.5 million was distributed in rural/greater Minnesota, compared to $28.3 million in the Minneapolis/St. Paul metropolitan area.

Minnesota spends approximately $2 billion to heat homes annually, according to the Minnesota House of Representatives. Harvanko notes that for all his office's hard work, Minnesota’s EAP typically serves a little over 25% of the estimated income-eligible population.  "Minnesota’s program focuses on heating, so most of our budget is spent on the winter season,” he said. “With an average household size of about 2.6 and an average income of about $17,500 (in FFY2016), Minnesota’s EAP households have very limited funds to address all of their household needs. The issue of low-income households having to choose to ‘heat or eat’ affects households statewide, not just in the Minneapolis/St. Paul metropolitan area."

The distressed economics of the average LIHEAP-assisted household can cause both short- and long-term harm to the affected families.  Harvanko's office points to the report Heat and Eat: Using Federal Nutrition Programs to Soften Low-Income Households’ Food/Fuel Dilemma, which describes the heat-or-eat dilemma. The report states: "... some costs are unavoidable. Rent has to be paid or the family will be evicted. Child care and car bills have to be paid or jobs will be lost. Two costs that can be squeezed more are food and heat. But the consequences of doing so can be horrendous as heating costs compete directly with food for families’ scarce and fixed dollars in winter. Poor families tend to spend a larger share of income on shelter cost and less on food to compensate, and eat less as a result, while better-off families, even while paying rising fuel bills, spend more on food when it gets colder."

Also noted are findings by Dr. Michael Georgieff, director of the Center for Neurobehavioral Development at the University of Minnesota, that poor nutrition, stress and poverty prevent the body from properly absorbing nutrients, leading to less than optimal brain development in children. According to Georgieff, it is “clear that children who don't receive proper nutrition are at risk because a child's brain needs plenty of micronutrients," which primarily come from food sources. According to analysis from the Children's Sentinel Nutrition Assessment Project, "after adjustment for differences in background risk, living in a household receiving LIHEAP is associated with less anthropometric evidence of under-nutrition, no evidence of increased overweight, and lower odds of acute hospitalization from an emergency department visit among young children in low-income renter households compared with children in comparable households not receiving LIHEAP."

Harvanko explains that Minnesota’s LIHEAP households have significant numbers of household members who are more vulnerable in low- or no-heat conditions, including small children, seniors, and people with disabilities. In FFY2016, Minnesota’s LIHEAP served about 47,000 households with seniors (age 60 and over); more than 29,000 households with children under age 6; and about 53,000 households with a disabled household member. In addition, Minnesota served nearly 8,000 households with veterans. Harvanko states that “the program protects vulnerable Minnesotans from losing heat during the coldest months of the year. In FFY2016, Minnesota received $114 million in federal funds from LIHEAP and served approximately 339,900 Minnesotans living in 133,000 households. Of these households, 22% had at least one child under age 6, 35% had at least one senior member, and 40% had at least one disabled member.

On April 7, 2017,The Huffington Post profiled a Minnesotan who receives LIHEAP assistance. Keith Wilson, a former woodworker who lives with a disability in Wendell, Minn. Wilson, like many other recipients, applies for help from the program only when he needs it."If we didn’t need it, I would let other people use it," Wilson said.

As of November 2017, nearly 89,000 Minnesota households applied for LIHEAP assistance, a 1.3% increase over the number of applications received by the same time last year. Minnesota’s LIHEAP office is currently projecting 143,000 households will apply for assistance by May 31, 2018, and an estimated 330,000 Minnesotans will be helped with energy assistance this program year. 

With fears of funding levels dipping as a budget battle continues in Washington, back in America's heartland, LIHEAP offices are working hard to stretch every funding dollar to ensure they can help the people most vulnerable in low- or no-heat situations. As Harvanko stressed, “Cutting or eliminating funding for LIHEAP would have a devastating effect on hundreds of thousands of the most vulnerable Minnesotans."

Arkansas: A LIHEAP Champion

Writing and reporting by Jake Brown

Arkansas: World Headquarters of Walmart and Sam's Club. Birthplace of Johnny Cash and former two-term President William Jefferson Clinton.  Home of Ozark and Hot Springs National Parks. And, like so many LIHEAP-reliant Southern states, dotted with a majority-rural populace across its vast landscape of bluffs, mountains and caverns, winding lakes, rivers and streams, forest pines and diamond mines.  

Brandi Hinkle, Deputy Chief of Communications in the Arkansas Department of Human Services, shares her concern of the threat of LIHEAP elimination with thousands of urban and suburban families who rely on LIHEAP for assistance, especially with cold winter months on the horizon. 

Giving readers an up-to-date look at the actual intake numbers, the Arkansas Department of Human Services shared the following chart to demonstrate the steady and increasing need for LIHEAP to support Arkansas families:

Local community action agencies are already feeling the increased pressure of the upcoming winter season. As with most states, agencies handle the bulk of LIHEAP outreach and applications.  Deputy Chief Hinkle commended the agencies for their ongoing commitment to serving their communities, noting that "Arkansas numbers have increased over last years’ numbers." Deputy Chief Hinkle added that "the State of Arkansas and the Community Action Agencies have established a partnership to provide the LIHEAP clients a service designed to address the needs of our families. In order for us to achieve this goal, we must offer dedicated services with our low income communities in mind."   

Arkansas's largest CAA, the Central Arkansas Development Council, which is famous for its "Mass Intake" days, staged a wildly successful awareness campaign at the Arkansas State Fair to reach out to rural customers. The agency also hosted urban events at the Arkansas Workforce Center of Little Rock to ensure urban populations were educated about the program and its benefits.

Across the Twin Lakes region of the state, Ozark Opportunities, Inc., continues to help thousands of Arkansas households. The 50-year-old agency served more than 3500 households in 2015 alone. Program coordinator Blaine Lawrence noted that despite changes in the political and state landscape, the application lines have remained steady and strong over the years.

The elderly remain one of the state's most active LIHEAP demographics. Deputy Chief Hinkle confirmed the simple truth that "without these funds available to families or households with elderly residents or individuals with disabilities, there may be an increase in the number of weather-related deaths." 

Arkansas is home to a strongly-connected network running throughout community and retirement centers around the state, including the Schmieding Center for Senior Health and Education in Springdale, Arkansas. Tomiko Townley, Older Adult and SNAP Outreach Manager, Arkansas Hunger Relief Alliance, noted that organizations like Schmieding are working hard to connect to local seniors as well as "service providers and policy makers to fully understand how best to serve the aging population. Older adult issues need to be illuminated and demystified. The senior population in Arkansas will only continue to grow, and it is past time for the state to develop long-lasting strategies to eliminate hunger and food insecurity in the older adult population.  There are many groups around the state doing amazing things for the older adult population suffering from food insecurity and poverty. Unfortunately, those supportive services are often centrally located, which makes it very difficult for seniors living in rural communities to access them...All invested parties to support and strengthen existing programs, including LIHEAP. Charitable organizations do not have the capacity to serve the entire senior population in need, but they have an important role in filling the gap between those eligible for programs and support." 

With the state's utility providers kicking in a helping hand as well,  Deputy Chief Hinkle confirmed the valuable partnership that exists within "the relationship between the Utility Suppliers and DHS is a community effort that ensures the success of Arkansas LIHEAP.  There are some utilities that sponsor fundraisers, company donated proceeds, etc., to assist clients in lowing their energy burden and to help in the prevention of disconnects."  Still, this year, cautioning that utilities were forced to raise their rates in 2017 as these "companies invest and improve their infrastructure," Arkansas' Attorney General Leslie Rutledge explained that asconsequence, "this may cause bills to be higher than expected and these expenses can become quite overwhelming and put some Arkansans in a dangerous situation." 

Pointing to the most immediate remedy of relief available to struggling families around the state adversely affected by rising utility bills, A.G. Rutledge pointed her website's spotlight on "a number of effective and inexpensive ways to save money while making sure you and your families” keep the power on, including LIHEAP.  Appreciative of her state's political backing of the LIHEAP program, Deputy Chief Hinkle stated that "the Governor’s office and Legislature is in support of the program," adding that to ensure every dollar is maximized to the benefit of those who most need the assistance, "the expenditure of these funds is approved and monitored by the Legislative Review Committee."

Weatherization has proven another strong ally in the state's effort to stretch every LIHEAP dollar as far as it can help, especially when the focus turns on future independence from energy assistance. "Weatherization is a very important component of LIHEAP for our families," Deputy Cheif Hinkle said. "Weatherization offers a more long-term benefit to those families as well as one you can see immediately after their services." 

Many of the advancements in weatherization have come courtesy of inter-state agency partnerships, as well as through the kind of private and non-profit teamings that the Fort Smith Times Record highlighted between "an electric power and gas company cooperative program that provides free weatherization improvements to homes in the region cuts utility bills by an average of 30 percent and continues to push back the need for a new power plant. An average of $2,500 is spent on each home, and the power company recoups the loss within an 18- to 24-month time period by reducing the amount spent to produce the electricity."

Such cost-saving measures will continue to play an essential role in making sure as many homes' power stays on this coming winter as possible as uncertainty over the Federal budget threatens to potentially eliminate LIHEAP, meaning devastating implications for the "nearly 34,000 Arkansans who applied for assistance in heating and cooling their homes in 2016," Little Rock's KATV reported earlier this year.  Feeling the presence of this looming threat all too really, the hard-working team at the state's LIHEAP office are working overtime to ensure everyone who applies for assistance receives it, even as Deputy Chief Hinkle acknowledges the all-too-real danger that comes with the reality that "depending on the amount of the cut, it could be a significant impact." For now, she remains optimistic, focusing on the positive difference the program continues to make in tens of thousands of "elderly, Individuals With Disabilities and Families with children" as "Arkansas' numbers have increased over last years’ numbers," and showing no signs of slowing as the cold winter season approaches...

Brandi Hinkle, MBA, APR | Arkansas Department of Human Services

Office of Communications & Community Engagement | Deputy Chief of Communications