By ASCET Community Action Agency
The Community Services Block Grant (CSBG) provides a major source of funding to Community Action Agencies (CAAs) across the United States. In Kent County, 30% of ACSET CAA’s budget for fiscal year 2016-2017 consists of CSBG funds. Unfortunately, the proposed 2018 federal budget would completely eliminate CSBG funding–directly cutting 30% of the funds that assist low-income families.
The proposed budget would also eliminate the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) that helps low-income households heat and cool their homes. LIHEAP also funds weatherization improvements to make clients’ homes more efficient, saving energy and reducing utility bills. LIHEAP funds account for 10% of ACSET CAA’s 2016-2017 budget. If this program is cut, our neighbors could literally be left out in the cold.
ACSET CAA depends on CSBG & LIHEAP to fund programs that serve:
- Hard-working families who struggle due to job-loss, family emergencies and unexpected costs from medical problems or car and home repairs
- Children who need a warm place to sleep and food on the table
- People who have worked all their lives but are struggling to make ends meet when they retire from the workforce
- People with disabilities who need door-to-door transportation to get to appointments and maintain their independence
These are our family members, our friends, our neighbors. These are the people who will lose the most from the proposed budget.
You can help ensure ACSET CAA can continue to reduce the conditions of poverty and help move families toward self-sufficiency. Contact your congressman/woman and senators. Ask them to oppose any budget that cuts the current level of funding for CSBG and LIHEAP. Use this online tool to find your congressional representatives based on where you live.
Learn more about ACSET CAA’s impact on our community in their 2016 Annual Report.
Your Community in Action! is provided by ASCET Community Action Agency. To learn more about how they help meet emergency needs and assist with areas of self-sufficiency, visit www.communityactionkent.org.
