Future of Missouri energy assistance program uncertain after federal layoffs
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (KCTV) - A Missouri nonprofit that supports some of Kansas City’s most vulnerable households says its future is in limbo after the Trump administration laid off the entire federal staff overseeing the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program, or LIHEAP.
The layoffs are part of a broader restructuring effort within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The $4.1 billion program helps millions of Americans pay their energy bills and served more than 130,000 households in Missouri during the 2023 fiscal year, according to state data.
“People can end up homeless. It’s going to be tragic for folks living right on the brink,” said John Rich, president and CEO of the Mid America Assistance Coalition, the state’s largest administrator of LIHEAP funds in the Kansas City metro.
Despite the loss of federal personnel, Missouri is using its remaining federal funding to support the program through the end of the current fiscal year on Sept. 30. After that, the future of the program remains unclear.
LIHEAP leaders say the program’s impact is significant, even if not always visible.
“They may not be able to see the impact directly, but it really does affect your everyday family’s household greatly,” said Sarah Blattel, LIHEAP program manager. “We have families who apply every year. They count on LIHEAP when they’re on fixed incomes whether it’s Social Security, disability, whatever their fixed income may be.”
So far this year, the Mid America Assistance Coalition has processed more than 17,000 applications in the Kansas City metro, which includes Jackson, Clay and Platte counties. The agency receives calls daily from families in need of utility assistance.
Blattel said families regularly express their gratitude, often sending handwritten thank-you notes to their office.
“To see the impact we’re making in their lives truly touches all of us here,” she said.
For now, the organization says it’s business as usual while closely monitoring developments at the federal level.
“We’re just reassuring them that we’re going to do what we can to help,” Blattel said.
As uncertainty grows, program leaders are urging Missourians to contact their state legislators and advocate for the continuation of LIHEAP funding.
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