United States Government Publishing Office publisher pbl distributor dst United States Government Accountability Office author aut Government Organization text government publication eng GAOREPORTS Legislative Agency Publications gao legislative 2010-08-12 U.S. Government Printing Office 2001-08-17 monographic deposited born digital 76 p. GA 1.13:GAO-01-723 https://www.govinfo.gov/app/details/GAOREPORTS-GAO-01-723 P0b002ee180384b08 f:d01723 DGPO 2010-08-12 2011-03-24 GAOREPORTS-GAO-01-723 machine generated eng fdlp REPORT GAOREPORTS-GAO-01-723 GAO-01-723 Energy Energy costs Disadvantaged persons Federal/state relations Energy conservation State-administered programs Grants to states Public assistance programs HHS Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program OCS Residential Energy Assistance Challenge Option Other Written Product A01618 Paying for home heating and cooling can be difficult for low-income families. With rising prices for natural gas, electricity, and other fuels meeting utility bills has become even harder for low-income families. By the end of the fiscal year 2000, the Office of Community Services had awarded a $30 million in Residential Energy Assistance Challenge Option (REACH) program grants to 24 states and 12 tribal organizations to fund 54 separate projects intended to help meet the home energy (heating and cooling) needs of low-income households in a variety of ways. These grants ranged in amount from $50,000 to $1.6 million. Most of the 54 REACH projects have educated low-income clients about home energy efficiency through group workshops or in individual homes. Many REACH projects have involved energy-related repairs to home and budget counseling, and three state REACH projects are developing consumer cooperatives to purchase electricity or bulk fuels, such as heating oil. However, some REACH projects have included social services not directly related to meeting home energy needs. The legislation authorizing REACH identifies three performance goals to be included in individual REACH projects. The three goals are to (1) reduce energy costs of participating households, (2) increase the regularity of home energy bill payments, and (3) increase energy suppliers' contribution to reduce eligible households' energy burden. Of the six project evaluations completed by states as of May 2001, only one project's design and implementation allowed statistically valid conclusions to be made about the effect of project services on participant energy use. The five other state project evaluations had analytical problems and other shortcomings that limited their usefulness in assessing project results. The Department of Health and Human Services has not yet developed a comprehensive plan for how it can best communicate summary information on best practices and lessons learned from the REACH program. https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/GAOREPORTS-GAO-01-723/html/GAOREPORTS-GAO-01-723.htm https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/GAOREPORTS-GAO-01-723/pdf/GAOREPORTS-GAO-01-723.pdf GAO-01-723 https://www.govinfo.gov/app/details/GAOREPORTS-GAO-01-723 Other Written Product GAO-01-723; Residential Energy Assistance: Effectiveness of Demonstration Program as Yet Undetermined; Energy Energy costs Disadvantaged persons Federal/state relations Energy conservation State-administered programs Grants to states Public assistance programs HHS Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program OCS Residential Energy Assistance Challenge Option