Concern about paying the bills can sometimes keep sleep away at night. Granted, laying awake and staring at a clock while trying to figure out, yet again, how to parcel out the dwindling amount in the bank account is not really productive.  There are nights however, when the mind won't listen to reason and worries just gnaw sleep away.  Maybe less money can be put on the credit card bill this month and then there'll be enough for the car payment. Maybe there really is another year left in that coat that is fraying around the edges. There just isn't enough in the till to do that repair to the house so it'll have to wait till next year.

While laying awake, worrying, a radiator hisses or the furnace turns on with a clanking of pipes. Oh yeah, it's going to cost a whole lot more to heat this place this winter. Where is the money for that going to come from? That becomes the tipping point, the cost that just can't be halved or put aside for later. It was bad enough last winter. This winter it's so much worse.  How do "they" expect people to pay these prices?  Where is the money supposed to come from?

There are a lot of families in Massachusestts who are losing sleep worrying about paying for heat this winter. Low-income families, of course, are hit the hardest by the rising cost of home heating oil.  The average for a gallon of heating oil last winter was $2.89.  This year the price is averaging $3.85 a gallon, based on estimates provided by local oil dealers. That means a total cost of around $3000 to heat one dwelling for the winter. This is devastating to a lot of families.

Senator Kerry has fought very hard for an increase in the LIHEAP or Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program for this year. This program provides money for low-income families who have trouble paying for heat.   Last year the federal government provided a little over $2.1 billion dollars for LIHEAP  This year the total amount available for LIHEAP rose to $5.1 billion.  According to a factsheet put out by the Campaign for Home Energy Assistance, Massachusetts will see an increase of $36 million dollars in it's LIHEAP allotment this winter.  That will result in more aid going to more families in need.

The recent debates in Congress have focused on hundreds of billions of dollars that are flowing to the financial system to head off a crisis. Senator Kerry, in a press release on the LIHEAP increase,  noted that funding low-income assistance for those who need help paying for heat is also an urgent problem, but one that was getting little attention from the current Administration in Washington.

"Increasing LIHEAP funding by $2.5 billion, over the objections of a Bush White House more than willing to shell out $700 billion to bailout multimillionaire CEO's and brokers, is a victory for all the hard-working families and seniors in Massachusetts struggling to pay record-high prices to heat their homes," Senator Kerry said. "LIHEAP is a lifeline for hundreds of thousands of Massachusetts residents and Senator Kennedy and I, and the entire Delegation, made it our mission to bring home additional funding to the Commonwealth this winter." 

The Umass Donahue Institute released a study last July that estimated the need for assistance and evaluated the programs available that can provide money to those in need.The study provided some numbers on the LIHEAP program in Massachusetts and where the money goes:

The federal Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) is the primary safety net for low-income Massachusetts households that depend on heating oil. Most households that earn up to 200 percent of the Federal Poverty Level are eligible for fuel assistance. In 2008, LIHEAP provided approximately $39 million in fuel assistance to 40,808 oil-heated households in the Commonwealth.4 The number of households receiving LIHEAP assistance with heating oil bills in 2008 represents only 25 percent of the 163,224 oil-heated households that will be burdened by oil heat bills in 2009. Approximately 42 percent of the 163,224 low-to-moderate-income households that we estimate will be burdened in 2009 will not be eligible for LIHEAP assistance due to incomes that exceed eligibility criteria.

The LIHEAP increase also included over $11 million dollars provided in a "weatherization program" that helps make homes more efficient by upgrading heating systems and home insulation.  In a statement in SouthCoastToday, Senator Kerry talked about the weatherization program funding:

"While it's vitally important to secure funding for fuel assistance, it's equally critical we're doing everything possible to lower people's heating bills and reduce the demand on the LIHEAP program," Sen. Kerry said. "Making your home energy efficient this year means lower heating bills for many years to come. This funding gives Massachusetts home owners the tools they need to lower their heating bill and frees up the saved money to help them pay for other essentials."

The need for assistance is great this winter.  There is still more work to be done to see that Massachusetts families can keep warm this winter. The increase in LIHEAP funding is good news however for a lot of families in the Commonwealth. Maybe, for some people, it will actually mean a good night's sleep and a rest from worrying about the bills.