DHS delays LIHEAP assistance until early December, Jenkintown resident interviewed by NPR about the impact

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November 6th, 2025 | By Ryan Genova

As SNAP benefits hang in the balance, Pennsylvania’s Department of Human Services (DHS) has delayed the start of the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) from early November to early December. 

From pa.gov:

Due to the federal government shutdown and lack of federal funding, the 2025-2026 LIHEAP season opening is delayed until December 3, 2025, contingent on availability of federal funding. If the federal government does not reopen or funding is not released to states, Pennsylvania will be unable to begin the normal LIHEAP season until funding is received.  

Regular LIHEAP Cash and Crisis applications will not be accepted until the season opens. LIHEAP Cash preseason applications are still being accepted, but payments and notices will not be sent until the federal shutdown ends. Please be patient and respectful to our staff while we try to assist you through these changes caused by the federal government shutdown. If you need immediate heating help, call 211 or visit pa-navigate.org/.

Justina Ray, a resident of Jenkintown (Abington Township), was interviewed by NPR regarding the federal government shutdown’s impact on funding for the program.

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services typically doles out funding for states around this time of year. Ray, a preschool teacher and mother of two, told NPR her winter energy bills are “not affordable” without LIHEAP’s assistance and said she’s waiting to turn on her house’s heat.

According to Mark Wolfe, director of the National Energy Assistance Directors Association, it will probably take weeks for the federal government to release LIHEAP funds after the conclusion of the shutdown, and the process may be slower than usual due to understaffing, NPR said.

On the plus side, the utility company which services Ray’s home has promised to suspend shutoffs for certain customers during the shutdown, NPR said.

More good news: an NPR listener reached out to Ray and paid her overdue heating balance after hearing her story.

According to her LinkedIn profile, Ray received her Master of Education in Childhood Education and Teaching from Arcadia University in Glenside/Wyncote.

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