UCHRA Loses Funding For Heating Assistance

Many Upper Cumberland residents may have to turn to alternative options for heating assistance this winter as UCHRA has lost funding for its Low-Income Heating Assistance Program.

UCHRA Executive Director Mark Farley said funding has been cut as state funding provided a few years ago has run out. Farley said the cutback will impact thousands of Upper Cumberland residents as inflation continues to be a problem.

“That’s put really a strain on many of the households in the Upper Cumberland for them to pay all of their bills,” Farley said. “So our services have been needed by more people over the last two to three years, so yes it is going to have a huge impact unfortunately.”

Farley said losing the funding will not eliminate assistance but will cause the UCHRA to prioritize assistance to households with children under the age of four and senior citizens. Farley said residents will now have to wait longer before receiving assistance.

“We’ve always maintained more people needing our help than what we actually have money or ability to help,” Farley said. “So obviously, this just extends that waitlist and makes it a longer wait time for many people to get these types of services.”

Farley said the UCHRA is exploring other avenues to obtain funding for the program.

“In the past other regions of the state may have not used all of their funds and in the past, we’ve had additional money allocated to us since we have spent every penny that we have received,” Farley said. “We are going to be open to the state doing that as well. If there is another region of the state that does not utilize this program as well as we do, we would love to be able to bring that money into our region here.”

Farley said otherwise the UCHRA will have to stress to Congress how important it is to have funding for the program. Farley said residents could turn to some non-profits and churches that have helped with heating bills in the past as alternative options.