By Claudia Vargas, Philadelphia Inquirer
Updated: August 30, 2017 — 9:56 AM EDT
Pennsylvania’s Department of Human Services will restore planned cuts to home-heating assistance for the poor this winter, a relief for thousands of people across the state who rely on the service.
Earlier this summer, DHS proposed cutting the time and amount of money it would make available due to potential cuts in the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP), a federal block-grant program administered by the states.
The state agency said it now expects to receive enough federal funding to offer assistance from Nov. 1 to April 6, six weeks longer than initially thought.
Kait Gillis, spokeswoman for the Department of Human Services, said the House Appropriations Committee approved a fiscal 2018 bill in July that included the same level of funding for LIHEAP as in 2017. With that, DHS officials decided that they could count on $209 million, the same level as last year and an improvement from its earlier $153.7 million projection.
In addition, DHS is carrying over $18 million in unused funds from last season, for a total estimated budget of $227.1 million for the 2017-18 winter. Gillis said that “funding will only be definite when Congress passes a budget or continuing resolution.”
Advocates were happy to hear about DHS’s updated plans.
To read more, go to http://www.philly.com/philly/news/breaking/state-restores-liheap-funding-and-extends-availability-20170830.html.
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