By: VHFA

July 10, 2008

welch, leahy & sanders at eventVermont's Congressional delegation held a joint press conference Monday to speak about rising home heating costs.

"If we don't dramatically increase funding for the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program, senior citizens on fixed incomes, the disabled, and low-income families with children will go cold this winter," said Sen. Bernie Sanders (right). "We cannot let that happen."

Sanders joined Sen. Patrick Leahy (center) and Rep. Peter Welch at the event.

Sanders introduced a bill co-sponsored by Leahy that would authorize an additional $2.53 billion for the heating assistance program. In the House, Welch introduced a similar bill that would provide approximately twice as much as current funding.

In a June 26 memo to owners and managers of VHFA-financed multifamily properties, Director of Multifamily Programs Sam Falzone warned "the coming heating season is going to be our Katrina."

Read Sam's full memo (57 KB; PDF) regarding heating costs and their anticipated impact on multifamily property operating budgets for 2009.