It's mid-November, and winter is around the corner.
According to the state Department of Children and Families, more Vermont households than ever before will be receiving home heating assistance this season.
As of earlier this month, nearly 19,000 Vermont households will have received money through the federal Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP), compared to nearly 16,000 households at the same time last year.
Part of the increase is due to higher income limits for receiving aid - from 155 percent of the federal poverty level to 185 percent. Unfortunately, with a finite amount of money available and more households signing up, all recipients will get a smaller benefit.
Benefit amounts are lower this year, not only because more people qualify for assistance, but also because federal funding has decreased. The U.S. Congress approved only $15 million for Vermont's Fuel Assistance Program, substantially less than the $25.6 million the state received last year.
Chances are that Congress will not be sending more to make up the nearly $10 million shortfall in LIHEAP money. And it would not be surprising if, in the name of deficit reduction, Congress cut funding even more in the coming months.
All of these factors mean even more pressure on private funds, such as the Windham County Heat Fund run by Richard Davis and Daryl Pillsbury, and on local social service agencies, such as Southeastern Vermont Community Action (SEVCA).
The county heat fund helped 350 families last year and works closely with SEVCA on behalf of those in need. Unlike those in charge of LIHEAP, Davis and Pillsbury have more latitude in delivering aid, and they will need every bit of wiggle room possible this winter.
As we reported a few weeks ago, more than 10 percent of Vermonters live below the poverty line and one in four Vermonters are either unemployed or working part-time involuntarily.
One in five children in Windham County lack access to enough food to meet basic needs. And the number of food stamp recipients in Vermont is at an all-time high at about 87,000. Local food shelves such as the Brattleboro Drop-in Center and Our Place in Bellows Falls are seeing record demand.
This is what Vermont looks like after three years of a persistent recession that, while not as severe as it has been in some places in America, is still bad if you or your family are one of the unlucky ones who are jobless, homeless, and hungry.
As a community, we usually manage to pull together to help our neighbors when they are in a jam. Congress ought to apply that same spirit and restore the missing $10 million to Vermont's share of LIHEAP.