Federal shutdown harms low-income families who struggle to pay power bills
When Americans endure a federal government shutdown over spending, it can be hard to understand what’s at stake.
But I can tell you one important program on the line, especially after so many Georgians have experienced sticker shock over their electricity bills this year: LIHEAP, or the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program, which has prevented or reversed utility disconnections in 4.6 million Southern households since 2016.
As Congress works to finalize this year’s budget, it’s critical that programs like LIHEAP remain protected. Because behind the numbers are real people — and Georgia families can’t afford to lose this support.
I will never forget the day I sat across from an elderly man, Earl, defeated, tired and suddenly the sole caregiver of his two young grandchildren. Their mother had left, his wife had left, and he found himself alone and responsible for raising children on a fixed income.
Every day, he was forced to find a way to stretch every dollar, praying for help. After being told he qualified for utility benefits through LIHEAP, he broke down in tears. Not because we solved all his problems, but because, for once, something helped. One less burden meant keeping his home warm and stable for the two children he never expected to raise alone.
Assistance program emerged out of LBJ’s War on Poverty
Earl’s story is not unique. Across Georgia, seniors are living on limited fixed incomes, raising grandchildren, living alone or managing health conditions that make them especially vulnerable to extreme temperatures.
What happens when the heat is unbearable and there is no relief? What happens when winter settles in and your elderly neighbor can’t afford to turn on the heat? For our elder population, maintaining utilities is not just a financial strain — it’s a risk to their health, safety and survival.
Community Action was established through President Lyndon B. Johnson’s War on Poverty and the Economic Opportunity Act of 1964, with the goal of empowering local communities to address poverty and inequities in ways that reflect their unique needs.
Today, more than 1,000 Community Action Agencies across the country, including 20 in Georgia, continue that legacy by helping families overcome barriers to stability through coordinated services like case management, job training, housing and utility assistance, and early childhood education.
One of the essential programs Community Action Agencies administer is LIHEAP. This results-driven program helps households afford the basic necessity of home energy — protecting our most vulnerable neighbors, promoting energy security, and reducing the risk of energy-related emergencies.
Must vulnerable residents choose between heat and medicine?
At Partnership for Community Action, which serves DeKalb, Gwinnett, Newton, Rockdale and Walton counties, we provided heating and cooling assistance to 27,605 households, 57% of whom were seniors. In a state where the average monthly utility burden totals $570, and the average Social Security income for a retired worker remains limited, utility expenses can consume around 29% of a senior’s income.
As the executive director of a Community Action Agency serving some of Georgia’s most vulnerable families, I have witnessed firsthand the critical role programs such as LIHEAP play in keeping children safe, seniors healthy and working families stable.
For many households, LIHEAP is not just a single service. It’s often one of many steps toward greater stability. When individuals come to us for energy assistance, we can also connect them to a broader network of support, whether through services offered by our agency or in partnership with other local organizations. Community Action Agencies are uniquely positioned to address both urgent needs and the long-term factors that support long-term sustainability.
Without vital programs like LIHEAP, Georgia’s most vulnerable residents will be faced with impossible choices — like Earl and his grandchildren were about to face. Heat or medication? Electricity or groceries? That is not a future we can accept. And we don’t have to accept it: let’s keep funding this program.
Brittany Hicks is executive director for Partnership for Community Action, a nonprofit designated as a Community Action Agency.
