With the colder weather literally on the doorstep of Lycoming County residents, the state has announced that the 2025-26 Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) season has been delayed by one month. Originally it had been scheduled for Nov. 3, but now is expected to be opened on Dec. 3.

The delay is caused by the Department of Human Services (DHS) not receiving its federal allocation of funding because of the federal government shutdown.

“Without action from the White House or the Republican-controlled Congress to reopen the federal government or release LIHEAP funding to states, DHS will be unable to open the LIHEAP season as previously scheduled,” a news release from the state said.

Rachelle Abbott, president and CEO of STEP, Inc. addressed the issue at this week’s commissioners’ meeting.

“Where I’m seeing some concern is the LIHEAP Crisis program which is supposed to start Nov. 1 is not going to be starting so the county Assistance Office is not going to be taking applications,” Abbott said.

She noted that 50 percent of the individuals that were helped in LIHEAP Crisis locally were over the age of 60 and 70 percent of those were single family women.

“What that tells me is, in Lycoming County, the majority of folks who are using that program are older women, potentially widows or individuals that don’t have somebody else at home to be helping,” she said.

“The LIHEAP Crisis program is critical. That’s a program where the weather’s getting cooler and you turn on your furnace the first time and nothing’s working. You don’t have the capacity to be able to fix that and your house has the potential for freezing pipes. Breaking other water heaters, all those kinds of things,” she explained.

When people are faced with this situation, they should contact the county’s Assistance Office which then contacts STEP.

“We actually have teams of local contractors that go out into the field…we have to do it within 24 hours to ensure that person is safe within their home and the heat is on. That could mean bringing supplementary heaters for a short period of time if the furnace needs to be redone,” she said, adding that a lot of the funds that come through the LIHEAP Crisis program go out to local contractors.

“We are hopeful that we can see some movement on both the state and federal budgets so that we can move that program right now. Right now we are being told that there is going to be no referrals and that’s concerning to me, knowing the residents in Lycoming County that have used that program last year,” she said.

“My hope is that the delay doesn’t last long,” she said, speaking following the meeting.

The funding is tied to the federal and state budgets where the funds come from DHS’s LIHEAP Crisis dollars.

“Should that shutdown end soon, hopefully that LIHEAP Crisis program will be able to move forward,” she said.

Although Abbott spoke directly about the LIHEAP Crisis program there is also the Utility Assistance Program which she said is still moving forward. There are income guidelines in order to qualify. for any of these programs.

According to information from the state, the LIHEAP program is a federally funded program administered by DHS where benefits are distributed directly to a household’s utility company or home heating fuel provider on behalf of qualified Pennsylvanians who need help paying their home heating bills during winter months. On average, Pennsylvania receives more than $215 million every year for LIHEAP – in 2023, the Commonwealth received $216 million and in 2024, $229 million. Pennsylvania cannot backfill these costs.

“The LIHEAP Program helps more than 300,000 Pennsylvania families heat their homes during the colder months – and is especially critical for older adults and low-income families. Inaction from the Republican-controlled Congress now threatens access to this assistance,” said Human Services Secretary Dr. Val Arkoosh.

“I urge Congress and the White House to recognize the serious consequences that limiting heating assistance will have on the health and safety of people in Pennsylvania. Congress must come together for a solution that protects people most at risk,” the secretary added.

Once the shutdown ends and DHS begins and funding is released to the state, applications for LIHEAP will be accepted, information from the state explained. Applications that have already been received will continue to be processed for LIHEAP and other benefits during the shutdown. In both cases, payments are on hold until federal payments are released to the state.

Information from the state also said that “many electric and gas companies also offer utility assistance programs for qualifying customers, and these programs are available in addition to LIHEAP. Additionally, Pennsylvania’s annual winter utility shutoff moratorium runs from December 1 through March 31 and prevents utilities – including electricity and gas-related services – from being shut off for customers of regulated utility companies at or below 250 percent of the Federal Poverty Level. While this moratorium will prevent utility shutoffs during the coldest months of the year, it does not cancel a customer’s outstanding home heating bills, so LIHEAP funding is still necessary for individuals who need home heating assistance.”

“It’s really challenging right now, Abbott said.

“I don’t know what the best thing is to tell folks, because it is such a unique program that really focuses on helping individuals in that time of crisis with their heating and cooling,” she said.

She urged people to call the county assistance office and their federal legislators in order to get them moving on the budget.

“I think that’s going to be the key,” she said.

For immediate needs during the shutdown, Pennsylvanians can use PA Navigate pa-navigate.org/ to help find resources. Local help is also available by calling 211 or visiting www.pa211.org.