As the federal shutdown continues, some higher-income federal employees are seeking help from aid programs, such as the federal heating and energy assistance program known as HEAP. But they're finding that even though they've already missed one paycheck and will miss another this Friday, their incomes are still too high to qualify.Christy Daggett, of the Aroostook County Action Program, says some programs, including HEAP, average out applicants' pay over several months to determine eligibility.
"There are many programs that look back three months or six months," she says, "so you're kind of in a bind when you're looking at eligibility for certain programs. It's very unfortunate."
Daggett says the agency does have some donated funds that it can use flexibly, so it has been able to help out people who are running very low on heating oil.
Aroostook County has hundreds of federal jobs, including with the Defense Finance and Accounting Services in Limestone, and Border Patrol. Daggett says as the shutdown continues, more federal employees are seeking aid.
She says people are "worried and afraid," as they face the unexpected loss of income:
"They're low on heating oil, and they're asking us for assistance on heating oil; they're worried about making their mortgage payment, coming up here in February, and we're in the awkward place of directing federal employees to food pantries and soup kitchens and places they never thought they'd be directed to. It's very hard."
