Connecticut’s low income citizens will be getting some help to pay their heating bills in the coming weeks, thanks to a $63.8 million grant under the federal Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP).
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius recently announced the release of funds. “The release of these funds will assist those in Connecticut who may not be in the position to afford heating costs during these cold winter months,” Sebelius said.
LIHEAP helps eligible families pay the costs of heating and insulating their homes in the winter and cooling their homes in the summer. HHS is releasing such a large allocation of LIHEAP funds now in order to ensure that states have resources available to support their energy assistance programs as the weather turns colder and the nation faces high unemployment rates.
The 20th Anniversary WTIC 1080 Holiday Store raised $193,128 in cash donations during the recent holiday season. The program exceeded last year’s fundraising effort by more than 6 percent. Major Doug Hart, area coordinator for The Salvation Army in Greater Hartford, said in a news release, “We are so happy and so blessed that people can be this generous during these difficult economic times. It is truly a miracle. Many families rely on us for help to get them through the holidays and we were very concerned about the sharp increase in the number of individuals that were asking for help this year. The Holiday Store success will go a long way in helping these individuals and families. I want to thank WTIC 1080 and their listeners for this unbelievable spirit of giving. We could not do our work without people like this.”
Maria I. Mojica, vice president for programs at the Hartford Foundation for Public Giving, has been appointed to serve on a State of Connecticut legislative panel studying the effects of the recession on children. “Connecticut was the first state to form such a group to examine the effect of the recession on children and their families,” said Mojica in a news release. “We have reason to be concerned. Researchers indicate all the progress made in children’s economic well-being since 1975 is likely to be wiped out by the economic downturn.”
A report from the Foundation for Child Development and Youth Well-Being and Duke University predicts the recession will send between 2.6 million and 3.3 million children into poverty, including 35,000 in Connecticut. The impact is expected to have the heaviest impact among black and Latino children because their communities are more sensitive to economic downturns. One study estimates the economic cost to Connecticut from the forgone earnings and poorer health status of affected children will run to $800 million per year.
The Metropolitan District Commission was recently recognized by the Communities Empowering Youth initiative, a partnership between the City of Hartford’s Office for Youth Services and Capital Workforce Partners, for its involvement with and support of the 2009 “Peace it Up!” Youth Violence Prevention and Intervention Conference.
The conference was held at the Connecticut Convention Center, bringing community leaders and organizations together to facilitate development of collaborative solutions that specifically address youth violence in the City of Hartford.
