WASHINGTON, D.C. — The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services will release $39,793,122 in funding through the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP). The funding includes $1,454,439 for tribal governments.
In Aroostook County, the Aroostook Band of Micmacs and the Houlton Band of Maliseets will each receive $173,100.
The Passamaquoddy Tribe at Indian Township will receive $330,283, with $460,805 going to the Passamaquoddy Tribe at Pleasant Point and $317,151 to the Penobscot Tribe.
“Vulnerable Mainers rely on the LIHEAP program to keep warm during the winter months,” said Sen. Susan Collins. “This funding will help ensure that low-income families and seniors do not have to make the impossible choice between paying for heat and paying for food or medicine. I am pleased that the administration has acted to distribute these critical funds.”
LIHEAP is the main federal program that helps low-income households and seniors with their energy bills, providing vital assistance during both the cold winter and hot summer months. LIHEAP households are among the most vulnerable in the country. According to the National Energy Assistance Directors’ Association, more than 90 percent of LIHEAP recipients have at least one household member who is a child, elderly, or disabled, and 20 percent of households include at least one veteran.
