The Associated Press
NASHVILLE – Individuals who have received help from the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program since last July must wait until Oct. 1 to reapply for benefits.
This is because the funds are now being awarded annually to coincide with the federal fiscal year moving from July 1 to Oct. 1.
Officials with local agencies that disperse the funds, however, said the date alignment likely won’t have much effect on people receiving the assistance,
Ron Swafford, executive director of Chattanooga Human Services, said it’s more of a money flow issue from the state to the local agencies. The agency Swafford heads helped nearly 14,000 individuals in about 6,500 households in the current fiscal year.