Applications for help on heat bills rise by 15%, By Erik Eckholm, February 22, 2010, New York Times: “The number of households applying for home heating assistance has climbed to record levels for the third straight year, rising by 15 percent to a projected 8.8 million this winter, state energy officials said Monday. This compares with almost 7.7 million recipients last year and 5.7 million in 2008. Average heating costs have declined slightly since 2009, and the increase in applications reflects, in part, the mounting troubles of those suffering prolonged unemployment, including many people who had not sought the aid in the past, said Mark Wolfe, director of the National Energy Assistance Directors’ Association, which represents state aid officials in Washington…”
Poverty-related issues in the news, from the Institute for Research on Poverty