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Tennessee Housing Development Agency 2025 LIHEAP Policy Manual for Regular and Crisis Assistance 45

Chapter 5 – Assurance 16 5.1 Assurance 16 General Information Under Assurance 16 of the LIHEAP Statute, grantees are permitted to allocate a portion of their funds to provide services that support households in reducing their home energy needs, thereby decreasing their reliance on energy assistance. These services may include needs assessments, counseling, and assistance with energy vendors. In Tennessee, Assurance 16 activities can account for up to 2% of an agency’s LIHEAP budget. Assurance 16 also requires states to report to the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) on the impact of such activities. This includes reporting on: • The number of households served • The level of direct benefits provided to those households • The number of households that remain unserved Subgrantees participating in Assurance 16 must submit a detailed description of their Assurance 16 plan, outlining the energy conservation activities they will deliver and track in their service delivery area. Subgrantees may receive funding for designing and implementing activities that assist in transitioning LIHEAP recipients from dependency to self-sufficiency.

5.2 Activities to Support Assurance 16 Examples of activities that support Assurance 16 may include, but are not limited to: • Financial Budgeting Helping clients increase the regularity of energy bill payments. Clients must agree to participate and work with the agency in collecting all required data. The agency must track whether budgeting sessions lead to clients paying their bills more regularly. Key activities: o Needs Assessment o Referrals o Crisis Management/Client Advocacy o Financial Counseling o Case Management – both short-term and long-term