We have an opportunity right in front of us, John. 

As a single parent, I’ve faced utility shut-offs. To keep my family warm, I used ovens and stoves. I remember days waking up to the smell of kerosene that we had to use to heat our house—a scent that embarrassingly stuck to my clothing when I went out in public. But my story isn’t the only one. Our newest report found that 1 in 3 households in the U.S. are similarly energy insecure, meaning they have difficulty paying their bills or heating or cooling their homes.

We recently saw how the Polar Vortex brought extreme weather triggering blackouts in Oklahoma, Mississippi, and Texas. The sub-freezing temperatures and power outages gave middle-income Americans and policymakers a sense of the unsafe conditions that low-income families struggle with every day. Low-income families often live in inadequate housing conditions with improper sealing and insulation, outdated HVAC systems, and sky-high energy costs.

Right now, Congress has an opportunity to support struggling families by enacting a national moratorium on utility shut-offs. But we can’t just stop at treating the symptoms. Helping people pay their bills does not bring the cost down in the coming months. But home weatherization and energy efficiency upgrades can stop the cycle of families reeling from one crisis to another.

Weatherization may not sound exciting, but since 1976, the Weather Assistance Program (WAP) has made homes safer and warmer for more than 7 million families. This means low-income homes have been insulated; leaks have been repaired, windows and doors have been sealed, improving the quality of life for millions of seniors, parents, and children.  Annually, the program already supports 8,500 jobs and weatherizes approximately 35,000 homes. 

Programs like the Weatherization Assistance Program and the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) have been a lifeline to millions of people like me. But Congress needs to significantly increase the amount of investment going into these programs to meet the needs and conditions families face today. Join us in calling on your Representative & Senators to fund $10 billion for safe homes. 

Send a Message

That’s why in the next COVID-19 economic recovery package, we need your Representative & Senators to make home weatherization and energy efficiency a top priority. But that won’t happen without pressure from supporters like you. John, can you help by signing and then sharing? 

If we get this done, we’ll have upgraded and modernized millions of homes, kept money in people’s pockets, created thousands of local jobs, and helped more Americans stay safe when they need to be home. Help us get there, John.

Thanks for taking action, 

CeCe Grant
Senior Campaign Manager
Dream Corps Green For All 

P.S. Check out our newest report, Safe at Home in the Time of COVID: Securing Homes and Jobs through Energy Efficiency, to learn how to create over 100,000 living-wage jobs and help families live safely in their own homes!