KNOX COUNTY, Tenn. — Thousands of families in Tennessee may lose a key safety net for the first time in years. The state cannot fund local Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program agencies due to the government shutdown.
“Without these funds, we are in kind of an unprecedented situation where households all over the country are going to be unable to pay their winter heating bills and are facing shutoff situations,” Cassandra Lovejoy, the policy and managing director of the National Energy Assistance Directors Association, said. “If you have never had your energy turned off, you don’t really understand the impact that it has on day-to-day life.”
NEADA released a statement Monday, calling for utilities to suspend shut-offs during the government shutdown until LIHEAP funds are released. The Association said the rise in electric rates and shrinking assistance can put millions of Americans at risk of falling short on their utility bills…