READING, Pa. – A Reading man says he’s been living without heat during one of the coldest stretches of the season. And he believes delays in a state-run assistance program are part of the problem.
Jeffrey Nein lives on Orange Street in Reading.
 He relies on oil to heat his home.
 And last Wednesday, he ran out.
“I get $1,200 a month in Social Security, which is not a whole lot. It’s hard to live on that. So, of course, I do receive certain benefits, and LIHEAP is one of them,” explained Nein.
LIHEAP is the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program.
Jeffrey says he applied for emergency help, but days later, he’s still waiting.
“As I said, right now, my home is 37 degrees,” he said.
Jeffrey is 67, disabled, using a small space heater
and staying in one room to keep warm.
Berks Community Action Program (BCAP) confirms delays are happening.
The organization says recent government shutdowns and layoffs slowed processing.
“The wheels are starting to turn, but they’re turning slowly,” said Lawrence Behringer with BCAP.
BCAP says applications are now moving again and it urges anyone without heat to apply or reapply through PA Compass,
or contact the local assistance office.
“So, it’s gonna take some time, but that being said, I talked to our energy efficiency director and he just informed me that we’re starting to see a flow of LIHEAP on applicants being processed,” Behringer added.
For Jeffrey, that help can’t come soon enough.