Tag Archives: low income

Lifetime TANF Cuts Removed from Georgia House Bill, Advocates remain Wary

tanf cuts

(APN) ATLANTA — HB 1006, or “Georgia State Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP),” as originally introduced would have shortened the lifetime amount of monetary aid from the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program for struggling families from 48 months to 12 months.   This draconian language was removed from the House Bill text when it incorporated into Senate Bill 389, […]

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Georgia to Receive More LIHEAP Funds for 2012

  (APN) ATLANTA — The State of Georgia is set to receive an additional disbursement of funding for the low-income energy assistance program, LIHEAP, now that US Congress has decided on a final budget for FY 2012. The US Department of Health and Human Services is releasing 845 million dollars in addition LIHEAP funding to the states, in addition to […]

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PSC Approves Ten Million in Emergency Heating Aid from USF

  (APN) ATLANTA — The Georgia Public Service Commission has approved ten million dollars from the Universal Service Fund, to help cover the heating costs of certain low-income people, particularly as US Congress has not yet finalized a 2012 budget nor separately funded the LIHEAP program. The funds will cover one-time payments of up to 160 dollars for up to […]

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Help for Low-Income Atlantans Hangs in Balance as Congress Stalls

  (APN) ATLANTA — Inaction by the US Congress to make funding decisions regarding programs critical to Atlanta’s low-income families–particularly LIHEAP and CSBG–means that even more families than usual this year are facing lack of heating and/or homelessness. The Low-Income Heating Assistance Program (LIHEAP) funds heating assistance payments for low-income families. The Fulton-Atlanta Community Action Authority (FACAA), an organization which […]

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Community Gardening Gets a Boost in Atlanta

  By Stephen Wing, Special to The Atlanta Progressive News (APN) ATLANTA — Facing an uncertain future, people across the country seem to instinctively grasp two things: They want a greater sense of community in their lives and they want to grow their own food.  These two impulses are coming together in the phenomenal spread of community gardening.  In towns, […]

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Senate Democrats Vow To “Take To The Streets” In Battle over HOPE Reforms

This article first appeared on The Beacon website at: http://www.beaconcastmedia.com/politics/Senate-Democrats-Vow-To-Take-To-The-Streets-In-Battle-over-HOPE-Reforms–2851 (APN) ATLANTA — Gov. Nathan Deal (R) signed HB 326, a major reform package to the HOPE Scholarship on Tuesday, but some Senate Democrats vowed in a recent press conference to keep fighting the reforms. “With today’s signing, we have closed a $300 million shortfall in the next year, we have […]

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Georgia Power Charging Late Fees on LIHEAP Payments

(APN) ATLANTA — Georgia Power is assessing late fees to customers across the State of Georgia who are approved for heating assistance through the federal Low-Income Heating and Energy Assistance (LIHEAP) program, during a six week processing time that it takes for the government funds to post. APN has previously reported on the LIHEAP program in Georgia, where Cobb County […]

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President Obama Proposes Cutting LIHEAP Funds for Millions

According to a report in the National Journal, President Obama has proposed cutting LIHEAP, or low-income energy assistance funds, by about 2.5 billion dollars, likely cutting about three million households off from receiving this assistance. Several US Senators have already spoken out against the proposal, including John Kerry (D-MA) and Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), according to the report. As previously noted […]

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