LANSING, Mich. - With temperatures low and unemployment high, more than 600,000 households in Michigan rely on some form of home energy assistance each winter - and this year, many of those families could be left out in the cold because of budget issues.



Federal funding for the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program has been slashed, while another fund typically administered by the Michigan Public Service Commission is frozen. Anika Fassia, a Michigan League for Human Services policy analyst, says the reason is red tape.



"The funding is there, but the entity that usually administers it is no longer able to administer it, so now it's not going anywhere."



Legislation has been drafted to fix the funding problem, but its passage isn't likely to happen in time for winter. A meeting today between Gov. Rick Snyder's administration, state utility regulators, lawmakers and utility company representatives could yield a temporary solution to help families keep warm this winter.



In the meantime, Fassia says, families need to contact their utility companies to set up a payment plan if they think they will struggle to pay their heating bills this winter. However, she cautions, such programs are just a temporary fix.



"There's also the concern that once April rolls around and the budget plan is over, the families are going to be hit with a huge bill - and how are they going to pay for it then?"



Michigan law forbids utility companies from shutting off heat for senior citizens between Nov. 1 and March 30. However, others face their utilities being disconnected if they don't pay at least a portion of their monthly bills.

