MICHIGAN (NEWSCHANNEL 3) -..."There's also a huge energy provision, including five billion for weatherizing modest-income homes."..."You're always going to save money quicker with insulation and with the weatherization-type activities"...
President Barack Obama has told the nation's governors that they can expect money to begin arriving Wednesday to help them with Medicaid payments for the poor.
Many states are struggling to meet the costs of Medicaid, which they underwrite jointly with the federal government.
The money comes from the president's stimulus plan which was signed into law last week. The money for Medicaid is just part of the larger $787 billion plan.
$288 billion will be returning to taxpayer wallets in the form of tax cuts, while $111 billion will go for infrastructure and science. There's also a huge energy provision, including five billion for weatherizing modest-income homes.
In West Michigan, you can drive through almost any neighborhood and see icicles, which represent heat and energy pouring out of homes, to say nothing of money. Many homes could use weatherization, but many couldn't afford it until now.
Jacqueline Soderquist has seen higher heating bills at her home for months.
"January was $303, December was $382," said Soderquist.
Those bills come on top of rising prices for other expenses.
"Medicine went up," said Soderquist, "$15 more for my medicine now."
Soderquist said she'd like to weatherize her home, if only for the economic benefits, but she simply cannot afford the extra cost. To compensate, she hangs blankets in the halls, and blocks off rooms she doesn't heat to save money.
If federal stimulus money could weatherize her home, Soderquist would take it.
"Everybody's having a rough time right now," said Soderquist, "but you know if the middle class, the seniors could get a little bit more help, I think that means a lot."
Doug Grinn, Housing Programs Coordinator for the Kalamazoo County Community Action Agency, says money to weatherize is coming to help people like Soderquist.
"You're always going to save money quicker with insulation and with the weatherization-type activities," said Ginn.
Michigan is getting $250 million to weatherize homes over the next two years and Kalamazoo County could get a big chunk of that, the most it's ever gotten.
"We potentially could be doing five times as many jobs as we've been doing," said Ginn.
Ginn says homeowners will need to meet income requirements and other stipulations to qualify. Although the program has been small, he insists it has been run well, with a history of improving homes.
"We are not known as a wasteful government program," said Ginn, "we are known as a government program that gets a lot of bang for the buck."
Soderquist says her home could use insulation; but doing that would require contractors, which is one of the reasons weatherization made the stimulus, creating work and helping homeowners save.
"They're going to be spending money to heat their house no matter what happens," said Ginn. "No sense in just letting go off the roof."
If you feel like you could use some modifications to your home, you need to contact your local community action agency to apply.
SOURCE: Newschannel 3
