President Clinton has directed the Department of Health and Human Services to release $300 million more in emergency aid to help states assist low-income households facing substantial increases in home heating fuel prices this winter.

The Department of Energy projects that heating oil prices this winter will be 29 percent higher than last, and that natural gas prices will be 40 percent higher. Low-income households are especially burdened by fuel prices increases, forcing many families to forego other essential expenses to stay warm during the cold months.

The 2000-2001 winter is expected to be one of the coldest in many years.

"None of can control the weather," the President said in his weekly radio address to the nation. "But all of us are responsible for how we respond to and prepare for it." The cold weather states in the Northeast and Midwest will receive most of the funds, according to the White House. But since low-income households throughout the country are experiencing sharp energy price increases, all states will receive some assistance. In addition to the nationwide increases in natural gas and fuel oil, electricity prices also are up in some areas because electricity generation often is fueled by oil or natural gas.

The emergency funds will come from the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program, which has already released a total of $556 million in aid. The latest $300 million release is provided for in the fiscal year 2001 appropriations bill signed by the President on Dec. 21, and should help states continue to meet their citizens' needs throughout the harsh winter.

Many states have adopted higher income eligibility limits in their assistance programs and higher benefit levels in anticipation of greater need for help this winter. LIHEAP not only helps eligible families pay the costs of heating and insulating their homes in the winter, it also helps pay for cooling their homes in the summer.

Published: January 4, 2001

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When Lew Sichelman first started writing about housing in 1969, he was the youngest real estate writer in the country. Now, 37 years later, he's one of the oldest -- and most decorated. He has been rated the top housing columnist in the country by the National Association of Realtors as well as by his peers in the National Association of Real Estate Editors. Indeed, NAREE has recognized his work on numerous occasions. One year - due to his advancing age, he can't recall which one - he earned top honors in the annual NAREE Journalism Contest in three out of the four major writing categories. It was the first time one writer has won so many NAREE awards in a single year. Known for his ability to make even the most difficult topics understandable, Sichelman also has been honored by the National Association of Home Builders and the Mortgage Bankers Association. He began providing in-depth coverage of and consumer-oriented information about housing and housing finance at the Washington Daily News, where he was real estate editor. He held that same position for nine more years at the Washington Star, which purchased the News in 1972. The Star, a so-called "writer's newspaper" which also had the misfortune of being an evening paper, was put out of its misery in 1981, and Sichelman, who had begun self-syndicating his column in 1978, decided to become a full-time columnist. Today, his column, "The Housing Scene," is distributed by United Media to newspapers throughout the country. He also is on the staff of National Mortgage News, an independent newspaper which is considered the bible of the mortgage business. And he writes for numerous other publications, including MarketWatch.com, where he answers readers questions once a week, Sports Illustrated (don't ask), RealtyTimes.com, BigBuilder and others. Sichelman is married, the father of five and grandfather of eleven.