Families in many Northeast states such as New Jersey may benefit from increased assistance on their heating bills this winter. In addition to the increases in outlays from the federal LIHEAP program, individual states have passed stimulus plans to help families with rising energy costs. New Jersey governor Jon Corzine, who is widely seen as a leading candidate for an economic position in the incoming Obama administration, has funded an additional $10 million to families in the state as part of the New Jersey Shares program.
Combined with federal assistance, this allocates nearly $90 million for NJ families this winter, up sharply from last year’s figure. The comprehensive New Jersey assistance program amounts to a $150 million stimulus that will provide assistance in terms of grants, tax relief and increased funding for low-income programs throughout the state. With temporary declines in fuel prices, many analysts believe that states will be able to help more families, and New Jersey increased the qualification pool to allow families to qualify within 225% of the poverty level, up 50% from the previous year’s threshold.
