SAME OLD SAME OLD

The Federal Program L.I.H.E.A.P. is being threatened with possible cuts again. I am in my fifth year managing L.I.H.E.A.P. in the New Hampshire Upper Valley, also known as Fuel Assistance. Each of these years I have run across mass media articles regarding large cuts to this necessary heating/cooling program. This year as well as last year there was talk of cutting the program by up to 50%.
I have been asked if this program will still exist once government votes on the budget. My answer, same old same old business. I am still taking applications and I expect that the program will survive. This program has to survive! There are households with children, disabled members and the elderly that depend on this every year to make ends meet. I see a lot of fixed income households in my office. A fixed income with rising fuel costs and no increase in Social Security benefits makes life a little more stressful. I couldn't imagine that the government would let the less fortunate households die in their homes due to hypothermia or for the southern states heat exhaustion. That is a lot of blood on ones hands. At least in New Hampshire we have RSA: 165 (City Welfare), as for all of the other States, I'm not so sure what resources they will have for their communities. It is always good to have a plan B.

Do You Make $19.76 An Hour!?

Article from:
http://afsc.org/story/tough-times-get-worse-nh-renters

Tough Times Get Worse for NH Renters

NH’s high cost of rental housing highlighted in 2011 housing affordability report

According to a national report released this month, the "housing wage" for New Hampshire renters has increased to $19.76/hr. The Housing Wage is the hourly wage a family must earn – working 40 hours a week, 52 weeks a year – to be able to afford the rent and utilities for a modest home. NH’s Housing Wage has increased 48% since 2000.

“This is especially troubling since it’s happening just after Congress decreased HUD funding by almost 6.5 percent for FY11 and at the same time that deep cuts are on the table for the FY12 federal budget,” said Elissa Margolin of Housing Action NH, a coalition that includes AFSC. “We need NH’s Congressional delegation to recognize the extreme importance of federal rental assistance to the stability of thousands of families in New Hampshire.”

The report, Out of Reach 2011, was jointly released by the National Low Income Housing Coalition and Housing Action NH. The report provides the Housing Wage and other housing affordability data for every state in the country.

About 27 percent of all New Hampshire households are renters. Federal rental assistance programs enable 22,320 low income NH households to rent modest housing at an affordable cost. About 74 percent of these households are headed by people who are elderly or have disabilities; approximately 19 percent are families with children.

“In addition to the high housing wage, a growing number of households in New Hampshire -- 29,317 households -- are paying more than half of their monthly cash income towards housing costs,” added Margolin. “When housing costs consume more than half of a low income family’s income, that family faces a high risk of becoming homeless.”

While costs of rental housing have increased, incomes have decreased. The typical renter in the Granite State earns $12.61, which is $7.15 less than the hourly wage needed to afford a modest unit. Cuts to federal rental assistance programs, such as supportive housing for the elderly and for people with disabilities, will widen the gap, creating unstable housing situations for many Granite Staters.

For regional, metro area and county data, go to http://housingactionnh.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/nh2011oordata.pdf

Dont Cut the Poor! Cut the WAR!

Five point one billion dollars. This is about how much LIHEAP has been funded for the last couple of years. Obama's proposed budget wants to slash this amount to about $2.6 billion. This would leave millions of households with back fuel bills and in turn making them COD (cash on delivery only) with their fuel companies and left in the cold. Most households are not able to pay $450+ for a deliverable fuel right up front. I have known households in the Upper Valley that spend this much a week to keep their home heated. Remember the oldest homes in the United States of America are here in New England. There are many homes that are in need of weatherization. Weatherizing ones home can become costly and without the proper funding of LIHEAP there will be less homes getting the improvements they need in order to reduce their energy costs. If were reducing energy costs then we are reducing the amount of Federal need when it comes to LIHEAP...hmmm, well I guess it would make sense to weatherize the heck out of New England homes. I wish I had a figure of how much New Englander's would be saving if this were a possibility.

The last several years I have helped disburse supplemental benefits which are "extra" federal monies available to help those with deliverable fuels at the end of the season. New Hampshire has not received enough funding this year to do supplemental benefits. According to Kathy McCosh, Tri-County CAPs EHCCO Coordinator, last year the supplemental for New Hampshire cost $10 million. This year New Hampshire raised the income limits to 60% of the SMI as it has done for the past several years, at a total cost of around $2 million. She expects to be able to serve all persons applying for assistance at the 60% SMI level with a base benefit. Benefits range between $150-$1125. Most LIHEAP benefits are not enough for the cold Northeast winters and a lot of times the supplemental helps enough to finish off the cold seasons heating bills. There are no supplemental benfeits this year. Remember Obama wants to cut the LIHEAP aid.....

How are folks supposed to get through a winter with half the benefit amount. Most households will barely be able to get a minimum delivery on LIHEAP benefits if Obamas budget goes through as proposed. This will effect fixed income households, the elderly and disabled the most. RSA-165 can only go so far and the local agencies can only help by certain means. So call your State Senators, Representatives and Governor! Support your local CAP (community action program).

Oh one more side note...according to CNNmoney.com, "The top five oil companies in the United States made nearly $1 trillion in profit since 2000."....1 TRILLION IN PROFIT...PROFIT!

http://money.cnn.com/2011/02/04/news/economy/oil_subsidies_tax_breaks/index.htm

Interview with WCAX Joie and I regarding budget cuts.


http://www.wcax.com/Global/story.asp?S=14044921

No Cuts Please!

Northern New England usually starts to feel the chill around the Fall month of October and sticks around till about mid way through the Spring month of April. This is how long these states have to keep up with heating costs. When the temperature drops pipes freeze, burst and this can become a very costly event. Safety is another concern during the winter months in New England. A horrible domino effect.

The first briefs of the Obama Administration FY 2012 cuts were reported by National Journal. The Obama administration is playing with the idea of cutting L.I.H.E.A.P (Low Income Home Energy Assistance Programs). Thousands of homes all over the United States rely on this program to make ends meet during the cold months in the Northern parts of the Country and the sweltering months in the southern part of the country.

Currently L.I.H.E.A.P. is funded at the $5.1 billion level and this is barely enough during these STILL, economic hard times. Fuel prices are up and down and the cost of living just keeps sky rocketing. There is talk about cutting this program back between $2.5-$3 billion.

I help disperse these funds and I can not fathom what would happen to my New England neighbors if they unable to heat their homes. A basic necessity for a human is a home. Without heat, you are homeless. At least in NH we have RSA-165, as for the other New Englander's.....I think the Obama Administaration might want to think about the available alternatives once we start having a massive amount of homeless households (currently the gov't is talking about cutting back Homeless Program and subsidized housing monies) if funding is cut back as much as is being discussed.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/02/09/obama-poor-energy-cuts-kerry-letter_n_821061.html

http://www.nationaljournal.com/whitehouse/exclusive-obama-to-cut-energy-assistance-for-the-poor-20110209?mrefid=mostViewed

L.I.H.E.A.P. being cut what what what?!!

The Federal heating program known as Fuel Assistance or L.I.H.E.A.P. (Low Income Home Energy Assistance Programs) is in trouble. New Hampshire residents might find themselves qualifying for the program but on a wait list.
As of November 4, 2010, 14,419 households in New Hampshire have applied for Fuel Assistance. According to Joanne Morin, director of the state Office of Energy Planning (OEP), once we reach 25,000 households we will have to start a wait list.
Last year LIHEAP in New Hampshire was funded at $40.8 million, this year it looks like NH will be funded at $19.7 million!!!! It is looking like less people will be able to receive heating assistance this season.
Article: http://www.theunionleader.com/article.aspx?headline=Federal+heating+aid+sliced+in+half&articleId=6312bd78-5aa7-4ab2-b584-45824d5bab79

What this means for my office:

Crazy town!!

Not such a Good Idea When it Comes to Your Furnace

Recently in Hartford Connecticut a young man tried to clean his own furnace. He did not realize how dangerous it can be to do this if you are not qualified. His arm was stuck in his own furnace for three days and he attempted to cut his own arm off. His arm was amputated and he is doing fine now. http://www.verizon.net/newsroom/portals/newsroom.portal?_nfpb=true&_pageLabel=newsroom_portal_page_us_article&_article=2866178

If you need your furnace cleaned you need to make sure you have a qualified person for this job. It is very important that you make sure to keep up with your furnace maintenance. Your furnace should be cleaned EVERY year! Below are some tips about home safety heating from Jonathan Paul, Fire Inspector of the Lebanon New Hampshire Fire Department.

The high cost of heating fuels has caused many Americans to search for alternate home heating sources such as wood stoves, space heaters, and fireplaces to heat their home. It’s important to note that over 60,000 structure fires each year in the US are caused by home heating systems. With that in mind, there are some important tips you can follow to ensure your homes heating systems are used safely:

• Keep and maintain a 3 foot clearance between all heating appliances and anything that can burn.

• When buying a portable space heater, make sure it has a tip over safety feature that will automatically shut off the unit if it falls over, and look for a label or some form of listing that shows the heater has been recognized by a testing laboratory such as (UL).

• Space heaters should always be turned off when you leave a room and prior to going to bed.

• If you have a wood stove, or use a fire place, have the chimney cleaned every year prior to the cold weather months.

• If you have an oil burning or propane furnace, have the furnace serviced annually by a qualified person.

• Make sure your fireplace has a sturdy screen to prevent sparks from igniting floor materials. Before you go to sleep, make sure the fireplace fire is out. Never close your damper with hot ashes still in the fireplace.

• Don’t use excessive amounts of paper in fireplaces. It is possible to ignite creosote in the chimney by burning paper.

• If you use a wood stove as a primary heat source, it is recommended the stove should be burned hot twice a day for 15 minutes at a time to reduce creosote build-up.

• If you use a kerosene heater, always use clear K-1 grade kerosene and never re-fuel the heater indoors.

• Make sure your electric space heater has a thermostat control, and never use an extension cord to power the heater.

• Test your homes smoke and carbon monoxide detectors every month.

If you live in New England, it is inevitable that the winter months will be chilly. Prepare yourself and your home heating aids! Put money aside for maintenance, don't ignore it! You will have a safer winter:)

2-1-1 and 2009 Vermont Homeless Report

2-1-1 is a call center for your local resource information. This is a free service that is provided for both Vermont and New Hampshire residents. Here is a link for 2-1-1 http://www.vermont211.org/
This service is great when you have questions about where to go for help with such things as fuel, food, shelter etc...

Below is a link of the statistics gathered by 2-1-1 on homelessness in Vermont
http://www.vermont211.org/images/stories/Documents/2009homelessreport.pdf