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Pulling back the curtains on wage-theft enforcement in MN; Trump's latest attack is on RFK, Jr; NM LGBTQ+ equality group endorses 2024 'Rock Star' candidates; Michigan's youth justice reforms: Expanded diversion, no fees.

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Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg says rebuilding Baltimore's Key Bridge will be challenging and expensive. An Alabama Democrat flips a state legislature seat and former Connecticut senator Joe Lieberman dies at 82.

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Historic wildfires could create housing and health issues for rural Texans, a Kentucky program helps prison parolees start a new life, and descendants of Nicodemus, Kansas celebrate the Black settlers who journeyed across the 1870s plains seeking self-governance.

Good News for Virginians Struggling with High Heating Bills

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Tuesday, November 18, 2008   

Abingdon, VA - With a struggling economy and predictions of a frigid winter, many Virginians will soon face the daunting task of paying their home heating bills. Rob Goldsmith is the President of People, Inc. in Abingdon, one of the places people can go for help. He says federal funding for a home weatherization program for low-income households in the state recently doubled.

"We insulate (the home), we seal up places where hot air may leak out or cold air may leak into the house, and check the efficiency of the furnace."

The homes weatherized by his group see an average 28 percent reduction in total household energy consumption, and Goldsmith says the additional funding will allow them to work on more Virginia homes. Local community action agencies and the Virginia Department of Housing and Community Development have information about eligibility requirements.

Lower-income households can also apply to the state Department of Social Services for help in paying home heating bills, he adds. Federal funds for that program, known as LIHEAP, have also recently doubled, although Goldsmith notes there's still a gap for some.

"There is concern about the people who are just above the income eligibility for that program, and there's not much available for people in that situation."

He advises those who don't qualify for LIHEAP assistance to check with their utility providers, local governments and community action organizations. FEMA also provides small amounts of food and shelter assistance for people whose utilities have been shut off for nonpayment.

More information about qualifying and applying for LIHEAP funds, as well as a rundown of other low-income energy assistance programs, is available online at http://www.liheapch.acf.hhs.gov/profiles/Virginia.htm.




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