A MARTÍNEZ, HOST:
The government shutdown affected federal assistance programs such as SNAP and Head Start. WPLN's Cynthia Abrams reports on the impact to a lesser-known lifeline.
CYNTHIA ABRAMS, BYLINE: The shutdown ended on November 12. But back when the government was still closed, mother of two Denise Simpson visited Nashville's Metro Action Commission, a local agency that helps people in poverty. Simpson is a SNAP recipient. And without that federal food aid, costs were mounting. Those benefits have since resumed.
DENISE SIMPSON: It's been tough, especially being a mother of two boys and one of them being special needs. And he requires so much. It's hard to be able to take care of your family that's needed.
ABRAMS: Simpson is applying for the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program, otherwise known as LIHEAP. The federal program that's administered through states provides one-time payments to people who need help with their gas or electric bills. Simpson says she needs that help, especially as temperatures drop, to keep her family secure.
SIMPSON: I don't care what nobody says, you have to be supermom with assistance. It takes a village.
ABRAMS: But weeks after applying, Simpson hasn't heard back. That's because during the shutdown, none of the funds from LIHEAP were disbursed. In Tennessee, that's roughly $72 million.
LISA MCCRADY BEVERLY: As the program was delayed, the more families found themselves in crisis.
ABRAMS: That's Lisa McCrady Beverly, who works for Metro Action.
BEVERLY: And then during all of this, we had the disruption as it relates to SNAP. And so when you have all of those different scenarios with families or individuals whose incomes are already very, very limited, it exacerbates the situations that they're already having to deal with.
ABRAMS: As families face a delay, a spokesperson for the Department of Health and Human Services, which releases the funds to states, tells NPR News that it is, quote, "moving swiftly to distribute annual awards." An HHS official not authorized to speak publicly said the funds should be released by the end of the month. But Tennessee still hasn't received them. Meanwhile, residents are in need. So far in November, the state has received close to 13,000 applications for utility assistance.
For NPR News in Nashville, I'm Cynthia Abrams.
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