FROM STAFF REPORTS

MONTGOMERY — Gov. Kay Ivey has awarded grants totaling $46.2 million to assist low-income families in Alabama with energy bills, including those in Shelby County.

The grants will enable 21 community service agencies throughout the state to provide emergency funding to help low-income families heat their houses this winter.

“Many low-income families in Alabama are forced to weigh between staying warm in their homes or having food and prescription medicine,” Ivey said. “These grants will help many elderly, disabled and families with children not have to make those choices. I am pleased to provide this assistance to help those most in need.”

The Alabama Department of Economic and Community Affairs is administering the grants from funds made available by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services for the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program.

LIHEAP helps eligible low-income households afford the energy required to heat their houses. Residents apply for assistance through local community service agencies who determine eligibility based on income, family size and available resources.

“Gov. Ivey understands the crucial importance of this funding for helping qualified families heat their homes during cold weather,” ADECA Director Kenneth Boswell said. “ADECA is pleased to join with the governor to make these funds available as we enter what are typically the coldest months of the year in Alabama.”

Below is a list of the community service agencies receiving grants, their service areas and grant amounts:

• Community Action Agency of Northwest Alabama Inc. (Colbert, Franklin and Lauderdale) – $1.25 million.
• Community Action Partnership of Huntsville/Madison and Limestone Counties Inc. (Madison and Limestone) – $2.77 million.
• Community Action Agency of Northeast Alabama Inc. (Blount, Cherokee, DeKalb, Jackson, Marshall and St. Clair) – $3.54 million.
• Community Action Partnership of North Alabama Inc. (Cullman, Lawrence and Morgan) – $2.3 million.
• Marion-Winston Counties Community Action Committee Inc. (Marion and Winston) – $699,100.
• Community Action of Etowah County Inc. (Etowah) – $1.02 million.
• Walker County Community Action Agency Inc. (Walker) – $779,220.
• Community Action Agency of Talladega, Clay, Randolph, Calhoun and Cleburne Counties (Calhoun, Clay, Cleburne, Randolph and Talladega) – $2.06 million.
• Jefferson County Committee for Economic Opportunity (Jefferson) – $4.49 million.

Community Services Programs of West Alabama Inc. (Bibb, Choctaw, Dallas, Fayette, Greene, •Lamar, Perry, Sumter and Tuscaloosa) – $5.42 million.

• Pickens County Community Action Committee and Community Development Corp. Inc. (Pickens) – $368,550.
• Community Action Committee Inc. of Chambers-Tallapoosa-Coosa (Chambers, Coosa and Tallapoosa) – $1.05 million.
• Community Action Partnership of Middle Alabama Inc. (Autauga, Chilton, Elmore and Shelby)- $2.15 million.
• Hale Empowerment and Revitalization Organization Inc. (Hale) – $425,330.
• Alabama Council on Human Relations Inc. (Lee) – $1.23 million.
• Macon-Russell Community Action Agency Inc. (Macon and Russell) – $1.06 million.
• Montgomery Community Action Committee & CDC Inc (Montgomery) – $2.52 million.
• Organized Community Action Program Inc. (Bullock, Butler, Covington, Crenshaw, Dale, Lowndes and Pike) – $2.89 million.
• Southeast Alabama Community Action Partnership Inc. (Barbour, Coffee, Geneva, Henry and Houston) – $2.25 million.
• Community Action Agency of South Alabama Inc. (Baldwin, Clarke, Conecuh, Escambia, Marengo, Monroe and Wilcox) – $3.01 million.
• Mobile Community Action Inc. (Mobile and Washington) – $4.83 million.

ADECA administers a wide range of programs that support law enforcement, victim services, economic development, water resource management, energy conservation and recreation.