Winter is coming, and the annual statewide campaign to inform Massachusetts residents about available heating assistance is underway.
Advocates for the program said the eligibility requirements are broad to ensure no family has to make the decision between keeping their house warm or covering other basic needs.
Jeanne Costa, a resident of New Bedford, said heating assistance allowed her elderly mother to remain in her home as she aged.
"They should know that there isn't any shame attached to attaining a helping hand up," Costa urged. "Which shouldn't be confused with a helping hand out."
Renters and homeowners making less than 60% of the state median income to address home energy costs are eligible, which includes a family of four making just over $87,000. Applications are currently being accepted online.
While some energy prices are dropping, public safety officials worry families unable to afford their heating bill will use more dangerous methods to stay warm.
Jon Davine, state fire marshal, said the heating aid program helps families avoid those decisions, and keep both them and his firefighters safe.
"It doesn't just help folks save money, it actually helps save lives," Davine contended.
Davine noted home heating equipment is the main source of carbon monoxide and the second leading cause of residential fires in Massachusetts.
Once households apply for heating assistance, they will automatically be enrolled in other energy-efficiency cost-saving programs.
Joe Diamond, executive director of the Massachusetts Association for Community Action, a coalition of more than twenty community action agencies throughout the Commonwealth, credits lawmakers for ensuring heating and energy help is available for the most vulnerable families.
"It's a powerful program," Diamond outlined. "It's an economic support program. It's a health and safety program. It's a housing preservation program."
Diamond pointed out studies show expanding heating assistance to more households with young children benefits children's health and growth.
Disclosure: The Massachusetts Association for Community Action contributes to our fund for reporting on Housing/Homelessness, Hunger/Food/Nutrition, Poverty Issues, and Social Justice. If you would like to help support news in the public interest,
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The Save the Children Action Network is asking Iowans to support candidates in the upcoming election who invest time and political muscle in solving children's issues.
Paige Chickering, Iowa state manager for the Save the Children Action Network, is reminding voters about the importance of early education, high-quality affordable child care and school meals for kids. She noted a growing percentage of them are hungry and their families rely on some form of government help.
"In Iowa specifically, USDA data show that about 40% of SNAP beneficiaries -- and that's the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program -- are children," Chickering explained. "About one in six children, 15.4%, face hunger in Iowa, according to a Feeding America study."
Chickering pointed out the Save the Children Action Network has endorsed a slate of bipartisan candidates in statewide races who have adopted strong positions on children's issues, including taking on hunger in Iowa.
Chickering highlighted a Ready Nation study shows the critical shortage of child care options in Iowa is costing the state at least $1.2 billion in parents' lost wages and productivity every year. She added helping kids should not be up for debate.
"The issue of prioritizing children in Iowa is a really, truly bipartisan issue," Chickering asserted. "It's been really clear from all the people that we've worked with, our volunteers, everyone we've spoken with, that this is something that everyone is prioritizing."
The action network is also calling on Iowa politicians to approve the summer "Sun Bucks" program in 2025, which would make food available to lower-income families when kids are out of school for the summer. Iowa opted out of the program this year.
Disclosure: Save the Children contributes to our fund for reporting on Children's Issues, Early Childhood Education, Education, Poverty Issues. If you would like to help support news in the public interest,
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Advocates in the antipoverty community said lawmakers are not doing enough to help people escape poverty.
They said the inaction is increasing the number of ALICE families in Arkansas and nationwide. ALICE families are Asset Limited, Income Constrained and Employed, which means they are working but do not earn enough money to cover their expenses.
Wade Rathke, founder and chief organizer of the nonprofit ACORN International, said lawmakers need to adjust the federal poverty line to assist more people.
"If the poverty line doesn't reflect reality, then people suffer," Rathke stressed. "Some members of Congress have advanced a bill to more realistically set the poverty level but given the dysfunction and general election year inertia, there hasn't even been a vote."
He added many states, especially in the South, are setting benefits as low as possible.
The current federal poverty line is $31,200 a year for a family of four. According to the United Way, in 2021 about 36 million households met the criteria to be labeled ALICE. The organization has seen a significant increase in calls to its 211 call centers from people seeking help with housing, child care and utilities.
Rathke pointed out more families are suffering as pandemic subsidies are gone.
"Even working families with income over $100,000 are calling because they can't make groceries given all of household costs," Rathke reported. "Two-worker parented families have no savings or ability to handle emergencies."
Advocates said part of the problem is the cost of groceries is used to determine the poverty line but families are spending more on housing, rent and utilities.
This story is based on original reporting by Wade Rathke for The Chief Organizer Blog.
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By Daniel Breen and Josie Lenora for Little Rock Public Radio.
Broadcast version by Freda Ross for Arkansas News Service reporting for the Little Rock Public Radio-Winthrop Rockefeller Foundation-Public News Service Collaboration.
Nearly half of Arkansas' 1.2 million households can be considered ALICE-asset-limited, income-constrained and employed. That's according to new figures from the ALICE in Arkansas initiative, a partnership between nonprofits and various companies in the state.
In a news conference in Sherwood Tuesday, Rebecca Pittillo, executive director of the Blue & You Foundation for a Healthier Arkansas, said the state's ALICE population has now risen to 47%, with 16% below the federal poverty level.
"70% of Arkansas' 20 most common occupations pay less than $20 per hour, and many of these workers, our childcare providers, our cashiers, our health aides, are part of the ALICE population; employed, but unable to cover basic living expenses," she said.
Pittillo says a loss of pandemic-era safety net programs, like stimulus payments and the Child Tax Credit, have made the issue worse. She says Arkansas also ranks last in the nation for savings.
"Even though wages have increased by the fastest pace in decades, the cost of living for a family of four rose from $54,948 in 2021 to $71,052 in 2022, outpacing those wage gains," she said.
The initiative is also launching a new program called ALICE@Work, where business leaders meet to strategize how to better support ALICE employees. Molly Palmer with Heart of Arkansas United Way says three Arkansas-based financial institutions, Encore Bank, Southern Bancorp and Diamond Lakes Federal Credit Union, have joined the program's first cohort.
"ALICE@Work exemplifies how employers across Arkansas can invest in ALICE workers and create meaningful partnerships in their communities. The program offers a variety of tools including individualized data reports, comprehensive course curriculum and self-directed action planning to help businesses better understand the challenges their employees face."
More information is available online at aliceinar.org.
Daniel Breen and Josie Lenora wrote this article for Little Rock Public Radio.
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