by Donald Eng
NEW HAVEN, CT — With the price of a typical fillup of home heating oil projected to top $1,500 this winter, state officials expressed worry that some residents would have to choose whether to buy food or fuel, or to delay other bills, or simply endure the cold.
With the war in Iran driving the price of heating oil over $5.50 a gallon — up over 11% since September over what residents were paying a year ago — Gov. Ned Lamont has released $12.7 million from Connecticut’s Federal Cuts Response Fund to supplement the Connecticut Energy Assistance Program. The funds will supplement the federal dollars allocated for the program this winter.
“This additional $12.7 million in state funding means more help for those who need it most, especially people on fixed or limited incomes, including older adults, families with young children, and people with disabilities,” Lamont said at a news conference at the New Haven Community Action Agency. “I strongly urge Congress and President Trump to allocate more federal dollars for heating assistance this winter as the ongoing war is driving up home fuel costs for everyone across America.”
Social Services Commissioner Andrea Barton Reeves, one of a handful of federal and state officials joining Lamont at the agency, said the supplemental funds would allow those who are eligible for the program to use their federal and state assistance funds at the same time to fill their tank before prices rise as temperatures drop.
“We encourage residents to apply early and not wait until they are facing a heating emergency,” she said.
Connecticut’s approved fiscal year 2027 LIHEAP plan anticipates serving 94,291 households statewide, including about 32,893 deliverable fuel households. CEAP prioritizes vulnerable households, including those with individuals ages 60 or older, children under age 6, and individuals with disabilities. Plan participants receive between about $350 and $700 depending upon household size, heating source and income.
Households may qualify for CEAP if their annual gross income is at or below 60% of the state median income, which is $93,681 for a family of four. Households receiving certain means-tested benefits — including SNAP, Temporary Family Assistance, and Supplemental Security Income — may qualify through categorical income eligibility.
State Sen. Cathy Osten, D-Sprague, Senate chair of the Appropriations Committee, said the allocation could literally mean the difference between life and death this winter.
“There was no way we were going to keep people warm doing business as usual. That wasn’t going to cut it. We are in crisis mode right now,” she said. “These steps today — filling tanks early and making more assistance available mid-winter — that’s going to make a real difference. We might even save a few lives.”
Republicans said their party had pressed to extend assistance to residents struggling with heating and energy costs. Senate Minority Leader Stephen Harding of Brookfield, and House counterpart Vincent Candelora of North Branford expressed hope that the funds would get to the residents who needed help the most, while also criticizing the administration for the slow distribution of a planned 25,000 grocery store gift cards. Announced two months ago, the program had reportedly distributed only 1,425 cards as of early October.
The administration subsequently promised to step up efforts to get the cards into the hands of those that needed them.
“We hope this is not another broken promise like we saw recently with the governor’s stalled plan to send $300 grocery gift cards to former SNAP recipients,” Harding and Candelora wrote.
For his part, Lamont’s challenger in the November election, Republican Sen. Ryan Fazio of Greenwich, also pointed to the flawed gift card distribution, in addition to a reported $30 million in heating assistance that went unspent in 2023.
“Governor Lamont keeps making campaign promises his administration fails to deliver on, while ignoring Republican proposals that would actually help working families,” Fazio said.
Democrats, though, have criticized Fazio for being one of only eight senators to oppose the response fund’s establishment in February.
Fazio later said he favored supporting LIHEAP funding through the state budget process.
CEAP is an annual program and residents must apply for it each year. Visit ct.gov/heatinghelp for information or to apply.
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