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| Northwest Federation of Community Organizations |
| TAKING ACTION, MAKING CHANGE |
| OUR AFFILIATES: Idaho Community Action Network | Montana People´s Action | Oregon Action | Washington Citizen Action |
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MPA fights to make LIEAP accessible to every family that needs it The LIEAP program is a federally funded program administered by the state, which provides heating assistance funds to low-income families. In Montana, administrative barriers keep eligible families from getting the help they need. MPA members visited a local agency that processes the application, Human Resource Development Council, to demand that the agency help applicants fill out the forms, and to demand that the State cut the application length and reduce the documentation it requires. Montana is the only state in the region to require applicants to provide 12 months of income documentation, and its application is at least twice as long as that of other states in the region. The HRDC has joined MPA in asking the State to shorten the application and reduce the documentation requirements. MPA is also working to increase federal funding for the program, which is chronically underfunded. Here are some materials MPA has used in the campaign: >> Press release for LIEAP action (PDF) >> Joint letter from MPA and the HRDC asking the State to simplify the application (PDF) >> Map showing that Montana’s documentation rule is the worst in the region (PDF) |
Northwest Federation of Community Organizations
1265 S Main, Ste 305 // Seattle, WA 98144
tel: 206.568.5400 // fax: 206.568.5444 // nwfco@nwfco.org