It’s Block Grant Season!

• September 13, 2018
• Heat Smart

This week marks three beginnings: the official start of fall, the unofficial beginning of FY19 budget planning, and the beginning of the National Association for State Community Services Programs (NASCSP) Conference in Bellevue, Washington. We’re looking forward to attending the conference and sharing ideas with state administrators of the Community Services Block Grant (CSBG) Program. It’s a great opportunity to discuss strategies and innovations in the fight to reduce poverty across the country.

Heat Smart’s mission is to empower families with the tools they need to save energy and thus money. It dovetails perfectly with both NASCSP’s vision – the empowerment of low-income families – and CSBG’s purpose – provide core funding to local agencies to reduce poverty and empower low-income families to become self-sufficient.

Our goal is to help states build their capacity to respond to poverty issues by partnering with their community service agencies and distribute Heat Smart Kits to low income families. Another key thing to know at this time of year is that block grant dollars can be used for Heat Smart Kits as they help reduce energy poverty. LIHEAP’s Assurance 16 funds can also be used on products (like Heat Smart Kits) that encourage and enable households to reduce their home energy needs and thereby the need for energy assistance.

We know that each state’s CSBG requirements are a little different, so we’re flexible in how we work. We’re always striving to be creative when developing programs for our partners, so if you have an idea for a Heat Smart program, tell us! We’re happy to discuss options.

If you’re going to Bellevue, stop by our booth and say hello. If not, email me and we’ll set some time to talk!