Michiana could see the season’s first snow on Sunday. The federal government shutdown could jeopardize heating assistance that thousands of people rely on when temperatures start to drop.
With SNAP benefits paused by the shutdown and Indiana cutting child care vouchers, Karla Mapes says it’s an awful time for low-income Hoosiers to also lose help staying warm this winter.
Mapes is executive director of REAL Services, the South Bend-based nonprofit that administers the federal Low Income Energy Assistance Program, or LIHEAP.
Benefits started Saturday and Mapes says fortunately they had some carryover dollars from last season that helped assist the first 883 households. They’ve taken applications for another 3,500. Mapes says they served about 11,000 last heating season.
“We’re ahead of schedule," Mapes said. "There’s a steady stream of people in our office every day filling out those applications.”
State law prohibits heat from being shut off if you’re approved for energy assistance so Mapes urges people to apply. She hopes to learn more about how the shutdown could affect the program in a meeting Friday with state officials.
“The longer the shutdown goes, the more harm it’s going to cause. We’re doing what we can right now but there is a point where none of that is going to be enough.”
