11 Timely and Meaningful Public Participation, , 2605(b)(12) - Assurance 12, 2605(c)(2)

11.1 How did you obtain input from the public in the development of your LIHEAP plan? Select all that apply. Note: Tribes do not need to hold a public hearing but must ensure participation through other means. Tribal Council meeting(s) Public Hearing(s) Draft Plan posted to website and available for comment Hard copy of plan is available for public view and comment Comments from applicants are recorded Request for comments on draft Plan is advertised Stakeholder consultation meeting(s) Comments are solicited during outreach activities Other - Describe: Public Hearings, 2605(a)(2) - For States and the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico Only 11.2 List the date and location(s) that you held public hearing(s) on the proposed use and distribution of your LIHEAP funds? Date Event Description 1 05/20/2025 Public Hearing for Maine Chapter 24 HEAP Rule for the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program held during the MaineHousing monthly board meeting both virtually and in person at 26 Edison Dr, Augusta ME 2 05/20/2025 Public Hearing for State Model plan held during the MaineHousing monthly Board meeting both virtually and in person at 26 Edison Dr. Augusta ME. 11.3. How many parties commented on your plan at the hearing(s)? 1 11.4 Summarize the comments you received at the hearing(s). Yes, hi good morning. Ah, my name is Chrsitina Link I am the Energy Programs Director at the Opportunity Alliance and am also the chair person of the Maine Energy Council. Um Program Year 2025, had many challenges, but it also had many changes that benefited the people we serve. So, first I would like to thank MaineHousing’s EHS Team for their efforts that they made to streamline the application process. The amount of paperwork that was required was reduced making the process less overwhelming for our applicants. In the past, the proof needed ah for the amount of child support received, um proof of subsidized housing, um and household with zero income was very daunting and many of our clients felt it was invasive. So, they were unable to complete the application process. This past year that documentation proof for those items was made um by self attestation which was ah, which eliminated those barriers and um our client were um very relieved with that process. While the Community Action Agencies were hoping that the new online HEAP application would allow them to serve more people um it was actually um a challenge um thisyear. Each online applicant had to be contacted by a Community Action Agency staff person to collect the signed permission to share form. Uh this was a required form and it proved problematic as most of um the agencies emailed the applicants because uh they had to provide a email address in order to apply online. However, many applicants do not regularly check their email or they created an email specifically for the purpose of applying for HEAP online and then they don’t bother to use it again. So many of our applicants never received emails requests for the form, they didn’t realize that they needed additional required paperwork, um this added extra steps that applicants um must complete but they were not expecting to do that. Applications could be submitted through the online portal with missing essential information, like the heating system and the fuel vendor um and that caused confusion as the applicants thought they were complete and it created a barrier for successful application process. We can see the benefits of a completely online application, but more improvements need to be made for it to be a user friendly experience for the applicant. There was another beneficial change this past year and that was the direct check benefit to applicants who heat with wood. As the number of wood vendors descreased it became more difficult for applicants to find a participating vendor in their area and one allowing them to purchase the type of wood they desired. The direct check benefit gave them more options from which to choose. One of the proposed changes for Program Year 2026 is that applicants um that heat with wood pellets, biofuels, um et cetera, are also um, will also receive a direct check benefit, we are strongly in favor of this. For many of our applicants there is only one participating vendor, uh wood pellet vendor in their area, they do not have the ability to shop around for the best prices, um they do not um they do for other fuel types. We want applicants to have control over their vendor choice so they can make their benefit last longer and increase their purchasing power. Finally, we strongly support MaineHousing’s uh proposed move to a one time ECIP benefit, the Energy Crisis Intervention Program. Um, the past few years the agencies have seen an increase in the demand for ECIP. An ECIP recipient receives a hundred gallon delivery at a time, but the ECIP amount can for each applicant can be up to eight-hundered dollars. So, staff are touching the applications multiple times per season, this uh causes a delay in the overall processing of applications, and it also allows some applicants to receive multiple ECIP deliveries while others only receive one or none. Um a one time ECIP up to five-hundred dollars would allow more people to access the funds and create less of a processing bottleneck. We would also like to stress that the delivery be allowed to go over a hundred gallons, but not over five-hundred. So, for example, um if a hundred twelve gallon takes them up to five hundred dollars, the agency should be allowed to approve that delivery um to use that full benefit. We would also like to see MaineHousing providesome additional applicant education regarding any ECIP changes, um to manage the expectations of our clients in Program Year 2026. 11.5 What changes did you make to your LIHEAP plan as a result of public participation and solicitation of input? We allowed the ECIP benefit to be used up to $500, and not a maximum of 100 gallons. If any of the above questions require further explanation or clarification that could not be made in the fields provided, attach a document with said explanation here.