OCS DCL-2023-05 ARP 2nd Anniversary FY2023

March 11, 2023, marks the two year anniversary of the American Rescue Plan (ARP) Act being signed into law. This historic legislation led to unprecedented investments in the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) and the Low Income Household Water Assistance Program (LIHWAP), two cornerstone programs in the Office of Community Services antipoverty strategy. This year, we mark this occasion with more updates on ARP funds' tremendous impact on the communities we serve.

The ARP provided critical and unprecedented particular support to these two programs, specifically, $4.5 billion in supplemental funding for LIHEAP and an additional $500 million to help fund LIHWAP.

To celebrate the impact of ARP, OCS is releasing two updated highlight documents that spotlight the work of LIHEAP and LIHWAP grant recipients across the country, as they have used these funds to innovate to reach people with unmet utility needs in their communities.

OCS has also released three spotlight videos of the LIHWAP work in San Carlos Apache Nation , and LIHEAP grant recipients in Colorado and Navajo Nation . These videos build on last year’s spotlights highlighting ARP’s impact on LIHEAP households in Virginia and D.C. , and LIHWAP’s impact in North Carolina and Iowa .

Materials linked above can also be found on our OCS ARP Anniversary resource page. Please join us in celebrating the impact of the American Rescue Plan by sharing success stories across your platforms regarding how ARP funds have made a difference in the communities you serve.

Thank you again for all that you do on behalf of LIHEAP and LIHWAP households. We are so proud to celebrate the incredible work you have done over the past two years to connect families and individuals with the vital utility assistance they need and to maximize the reach of the historic ARP funds.