HARRISBURG- Low-income families are once again getting help from the state government to prepare for winter. Governor Tom Wolf joined with Department of Human Services Secretary Ted Dallas and Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission Chairman Gladys M. Brown to kick off this year’s Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program. LIHEAP provides assistance for home heating bills to keep low-income Pennsylvanians warm and safe during the winter months.
Governor Wolf addressed the media, “Think about what occasions this. It could be a disability. It could be an unforeseen accident or the health crisis. It could the loss of a job. It could be because you have children that have an immediate need for heat, and we don’t want people in Pennsylvania to have to choose between heat, medical assistance and food. We want them to have this.”
Dallas urges those eligible to begin the process now even though mother nature hasn’t showed signs of turning cold yet, “Right now today, I think its in the 60s or so and its pretty warm out, and people might have a tendency to say I have time, but it takes time to become eligible for LIHEAP. It takes time for us to process that paperwork, and you don’t want to be coming to us when things are cold or when that polar vortex is there.”
The program is available to renters an homeowners. For more information visit www.puc.pa.gov. (Matt Catrillo)