According to CouleeCap, a non-profit serving the needs of low-income people and families in Crawford, La Crosse, Monroe, and Vernon counties, a program that keeps Wisconsinites safe by ensuring homes stay warm and cool during extreme temperatures is at risk after abrupt actions by the federal government.
Last week, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) fired all employees of the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program, or LIHEAP, which helps residents pay heating bills and address energy emergencies.
LIHEAP provides energy assistance to low-income households with high energy costs. The program ensures energy security, prevents utility shutoffs and protects vulnerable households, including seniors, veterans and families with young children. LIHEAP payments go directly to local utility companies, ensuring that businesses remain stable while keeping families focused on building financial independence.
CouleeCap says the timing of this action is especially concerning with the utility disconnection moratorium ending on April 15, and disruptions to the program could put households at risk of having their heat shut off when temperatures can still drop to dangerous levels and just before temperatures begin to rise. With no staff, it is unclear whether funding that thousands of Wisconsin households rely on for emergency heating and cooling will be available. Any disruptions to the program through staffing cuts would put the health and safety of Wisconsinites at risk.
In Wisconsin last year, LIHEAP served 74,389 disabled households, 77,526 senior households, and 33,373 households with children under the age of six. In the 2024 program year, 9,680 households received assistance through the LIHEAP program in the Couleecap service area of Crawford, La Crosse, Monroe, and Vernon Counties.
The LIHEAP program fills gaps as home heating and cooling costs remain unaffordable for many Americans. According to the National Energy Assistance Directors Association, home heating costs were expected to rise more than 14% in the Midwest Region for the winter of 2025 as compared to the previous year. LIHEAP is crucial for ensuring low-income households avoid utility shutoffs and can financially manage extreme temperatures without sacrificing their wellbeing.
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