Times Argus - Welch: 'Never Seen People So Scared'

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Times Argus - Welch: 'Never Seen People So Scared'

In the cramped cellar level of a state office building in Waterbury, more than 24,000 applications for fuel assistance compete for space atop metal filing cabinets and wall desks.

The pleas for help have come in at a record pace this summer, eclipsing by 20 percent the number of applications received by the Agency of Human Services last year.

On Wednesday, a dozen or so "eligibility benefits specialists" ?Çö state employees responsible for sifting through the reams of applications ?Çö emerged from a warren of small offices to meet with Rep. Peter Welch. If Congress doesn't come through with increased federal funding for the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program, they told the freshman congressman, poor Vermonters stand to be left in the cold.

"The money is a huge issue," Richard Moffi, head of Vermont's fuel assistance program, told Welch. "We're worried about issuing a benefit in November that only meets a very small percentage of families' needs."

Vermont boasts one of the most generous LIHEAP programs in the country, covering 60 percent of annual heating costs for people living at or below 125 percent of the federal poverty level. Without additional funding, however, those benefits will wither under rising oil prices.

Vermont needs an additional $20 million to meet the 60 percent standard for the 2008-2009 heating season. As it stands, the state has enough to give eligible households $600 each, or enough for about 100 gallons of No. 2 home-heating oil.

"It's a minimum fill-up," Moffi said.

Welch, along with his senatorial counterparts Bernie Sanders and Patrick Leahy, has until the end of September to convince Congressional colleagues to support a proposed $2.5 billion increase in LIHEAP ?Çö some of which would cover the shortfall in Vermont.

Welch said Wednesday that it's impossible to predict whether they'll succeed.

"I don't spend time predicting," Welch said. "This is one of those issues where you just put your head down and forge ahead."

Welch met with state employees Wednesday morning before heading to a roundtable discussion in the front lawn outside Bourne's, a fuel-delivery business in Waterbury. He said he's well aware of the mounting economic pressures on state programs and the potential catastrophe that high fuel costs may inflict on this cold-weather state.

"I have never seen people so scared," Welch said. "You're kind of heartsick, because even with a doubling of LIHEAP funding, you're still kind of treading water."

Covering the LIHEAP funding gap is a top priority for state employees administering the fuel assistance program. But Ellen Nolan, an eligibility benefits specialist, says she worries about Vermonters living just beyond the eligibility thresholds.

"The poor are being taken care of as best we can," Nolan said. "But it's the lower middle-class folks, with two or three kids, both working ?Çö they're the ones taking the brunt of everything."

She said she is especially concerned about elderly and disabled residents, whose life circumstances prevent them from eking out any additional income. She recounted the story of a 65-year-old retiree whose social security benefits and small widow's pension put her $2 above the monthly income threshold needed to qualify for LIHEAP.

"It kills me," Nolan said. "It's not like these folks can go out and take on a new job."

Tina Wilder, also an eligibility specialist, said that living on a state salary, she is experiencing firsthand the plight of the middle-class. She told Welch that longer-term solutions, such as subsidies or tax breaks for alternative heating sources, could eliminate similar fuel crises in the future.

"I'd love to get rid of the oil furnace and put in a pellet stove, but I'm worrying about property taxes and other costs, so I can't be doing that this year," Wilder said.

Steve Dale, commissioner of the Department of Children and Families, advocated for an expansion of eligibility thresholds as well as new programs for working Vermonters.

"Vermont is absolutely committed to maintaining current levels," Dale said. "And we would love to incrementally expand eligibility."

It's an ambitious proposal from a commissioner in a state that faces its own economic hardships. If the federal government fails to supply additional LIHEAP funds, Vermont will likely have to resort to using 'Rainy Day' funds if it wants to make up the $20 million deficit.

Welch offered no guarantees Wednesday as to the outcome of the September session. The funding increase could potentially be attached to a new stimulus package, but President George Bush has already threatened a veto of any expansion in LIHEAP funding.

"It's a big political obstacle to overcome, Welch said. "You just do every single thing you can to get this done."

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