We’ve all been there: layering up, waiting for the winter chill to seep in, fighting the urge to turn the heat on. And when it gets bad enough, we decide — it’s time. But for many families across the state who struggle to meet basic needs, that’s not always an option.
Why? Because they can’t afford to pay for it. So, they barter with themselves and their families: stay cold and eat, or turn on the heat and go hungry? Stay cold and housed, or turn on the heat and risk being late on a rental payment?
As the state with the fourth highest energy costs in the country, some Connecticut families are using up to 47% of their annual income just for their utility bills — making it next to impossible to keep the heat on. This is why the Connecticut Energy Assistance Program (CEAP) is so important.
Connecticut’s Community Action Agencies (CAAs) operate CEAP in all 169 cities and towns in the state, which relies on federal Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) dollars administered by the state Department of Social Services (DSS). LIHEAP funding was significantly reduced by Congress this year; rolling back funding to pre-pandemic levels all while the demand for energy assistance has continued to rise. As a result of the reduction of funding, benefit levels have also been reduced for Connecticut residents eligible for the program.
CEAP is a lifeline for our state’s most vulnerable households, helping them stay warm and safe throughout the winter season. Yet funding for this critical program was cut significantly this year, even though demand for energy assistance is 40% higher than pre-pandemic levels — leaving Connecticut’s poorest families without the help they need to stay warm.
As of mid-January, Community Action Agencies have already approved 65,711 applications, up 8.6% from this time last year. And a substantial number of households who receive deliverable fuel assistance like oil, wood, or propane have already maxed out their benefits for the year, including their crisis benefit (e.g., those who run out of fuel and don’t have the means to buy more). It is also predicted that a sizable number of deliverable fuel households that are eligible for the program haven’t even applied yet, and winter is still in full swing.
Given all of this, one thing is abundantly clear: Connecticut has an energy poverty problem, and CEAP is a powerful part of the solution. As legislators consider emergency legislation to support heating assistance, it is vital that additional funds be allocated to the Connecticut Energy Assistance Program that is responsive to the needs in Connecticut.
February 1st was National Energy Assistance Day. Let’s come together and make sure no one in Connecticut is left out in the cold.
Rhonda Evans is the Interim Executive Director of the Connecticut Association for Community Action (CAFCA), the state association for Connecticut’s Community Action Agencies, the federally and state designated network of antipoverty agencies in Connecticut.