NEW ORLEANS - Today, New Orleans City Council President Helena Moreno released a letter addressed to Federal leaders, including Speaker Pelosi and Treasury Secretary Mnuchin, advocating for a significant increase in Low Income Home Energy Program (LIHEAP) funds to help New Orleanians pay their utility bills through the difficult coming months.

"New Orleans, both from a health and an economic exposure standpoint, is one of the epicenters of the COVID-19 Crisis. We have among the highest infection and mortality rates, as well as a reliance on some of the vulnerable industries like hospitality, services, and tourism," said Council President Moreno. "We know we already face significant energy insecurity here in New Orleans, with many families struggling to pay their bills during good times. We're poised to see a drastic increase in need, and we must see a commiserate response to ensure our community isn't left behind."

Moreno continued, "While the CARES Act increases the total LIHEAP national allocation, New Orleans will likely need even more help to allow our people to pay their monthly electricity and gas bills while the pandemic crisis continues to cause economic havoc."

The letter to Federal leaders is signed by a broad coalition of community stakeholders, including leaders from the Alliance for Affordable Energy, Housing NOLA and GNO Housing Alliance, and the CEO of Entergy New Orleans.

Traditionally, Louisiana gets a disproportionately small allocation of LIHEAP funds, most of which are used to provide direct financial assistance to families struggling with utility bills. The payments currently range from $150 to $600 and are administered by the Louisiana Housing Corporation (LHC). Last year, Louisiana only received a total of $55m in LIHEAP funding statewide. In comparison, Alabama received roughly $60M, Georgia $77M and Florida $97M. With unemployment rolls expanding and job losses mounting, the need for utility bill assistance is set to skyrocket in our community.