DENVER (AP) — Bobbie Boyd is struggling in her fight against extreme temperatures in northwest Arkansas.
Her window air conditioner runs constantly, and the increasing cost of electricity takes $240 out of her $882 monthly income. As a result, the 57-year-old has to sacrifice other necessities.
Boyd only eats one meal a day so that her 15-year-old grandson, whom she raises alone, can have two meals. She has stopped paying for car insurance and skips medical appointments.
“I can only pay for rent and the electricity bill. And I’m broke,” said Boyd, who needs the cooling to prevent her heat-induced asthma attacks.
As temperatures rise due to climate change, millions of the poorest Americans face the same difficult choices as Boyd – either endure dangerous indoor heat or pay expensive bills. Although President Joe Biden has invested billions in federal programs that subsidize energy costs for low-income Americans, the money only reaches a small fraction of the most vulnerable during the hot summer months.
Nationwide, nearly 30 million American households struggle to pay their energy bills and qualify for the subsidy, but less than 3% receive assistance for their summer bills, according to the latest preliminary federal data.
Compared to food stamps, which reach over 80% of eligible individuals nationwide, the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) falls far behind, even as climate change contributes to record-breaking heatwaves and air conditioning becomes a necessity for survival.
One of the main reasons for this is that most states exhaust their federal funding every year, as per the Department of Health and Human Services, which oversees the program.
“We’re likely to see the population facing energy insecurity grow unless we have substantial government intervention,” said Michelle Graff, a researcher at Cleveland State University who studies the federal subsidy.
Currently, many states do not provide assistance during the summer months, and even those that do often run out of funds before the hottest days arrive. The program was originally focused on winter heating bills and has been slow to adapt to the hotter summers caused by climate change.
Biden has emphasized the importance of LIHEAP, stating that it is “crucial for low-income families to help with their energy bills.” He also highlighted the fact that even after the heat subsides, many families may face their highest energy bills ever.
While approximately 650,000 low-income households in Arizona qualify for federal energy assistance for cooling, only about 11,600 households actually received it, according to federal data.
Samira Burns, an official at the Health and Human Services, stated that the Biden administration has doubled the LIHEAP budget through the American Rescue Plan, and HHS has provided updated guidance to help states target support during extreme heat.
“The Biden-Harris Administration has prioritized ensuring that eligible households seek and receive the utility assistance they need,” she said. “We know we must continue to do all that we can.”
Five years ago, the death of 72-year-old Stephanie Pullman in Arizona drew attention to the dangers faced by energy insecure individuals when her electricity was cut off due to an unpaid bill. In response to this incident, Arizona power companies are now prohibited from disconnecting customers during the hottest months. However, data from the Energy Justice Lab shows that nearly 3 million people had their power disconnected for non-payment last year, with a third of them being disconnected during the three hottest summer months.
When faced with disconnection notices this summer, Candace Griffin from Houston, Texas sought assistance from nonprofit organizations to pay monthly bills that exceeded $400. She simply didn’t have any extra money to cover the costs.
“I have to pay the energy bill, I have to have lights, I have to have AC,” the 51-year-old said. And, “I have to eat.”
The poorest Americans and minority communities are often the ones who live in hotter neighborhoods and have no access to air conditioning at all. While there are tax credits and rebates available to help install air conditioning, they remain out of reach for many impoverished households.
Even with air conditioning, those with the lowest incomes face higher costs compared to their wealthier counterparts, mainly because they are more likely to live in older homes with poor insulation.
Energy insecure households pay 20 cents more per square foot for energy usage than the national average, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration.
The federal Weatherization Assistance Program aims to improve the insulation of low-income homes, making them less reliant on air conditioning and heating. However, despite around 40 million low-income households being eligible, only about 35,000 households receive assistance each year, according to the U.S. Department of Energy.
“It’s because, just, lack of funds,” said Bruce Tonn, a researcher at a Tennessee nonprofit who studies the program. President Biden has since allocated billions to the program, which he highlighted during a recent visit.
The program is crucial because it reduces energy bills, which push about 25% of low-income households into debt, according to Sanya Carley, an energy policy researcher at the University of Pennsylvania and co-director of the Energy Justice Lab. If electricity is disconnected, the costs only increase. The fridge warms up, food spoils, and utility companies charge hefty fees for reconnection.
“It becomes very, very difficult for them to dig out and to be able to … pay their next energy bill,” said Carley, who noted that about half of the households that are disconnected have experienced disconnection before.
National nonprofits such as The Salvation Army and Catholic Charities provide emergency financial aid, which thousands of people rely on, particularly since LIHEAP requires a multi-step application process every year.
Vivian Romero, who is raising two teenage granddaughters outside Phoenix, had previously used federal LIHEAP funding to pay her electric bill before experiencing a few months of homelessness. However, this year she didn’t reapply for LIHEAP assistance and instead turned to Catholic Charities for help with her $314 power bill in June.
Nonetheless, nonprofits often can only offer assistance once a year, according to Romero. She plans to reapply for LIHEAP aid, stating that “The Catholic Charities funding was a one-time thing.”
In Arkansas, Boyd recently received a disconnection notice after an extension was given for her unpaid electric bill. The last time her power was shut off, she and her grandson had to sleep in the car. This time, The Salvation Army prevented her from being disconnected.
Boyd does not receive LIHEAP and was even unaware of the financial aid that was available.
“The only thing between me and the sun is the roof,” she said.
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Associated Press writer Anita Snow in Phoenix contributed.
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Bedayn is a corps member for the Associated Press/Report for America Statehouse News Initiative. Report for America is a nonprofit national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on undercovered issues.