LANSING, Mich. (WILX) - As colder weather moves in, Michigan’s main source of heating assistance is facing a standstill.

The ongoing federal government shutdown has frozen new funding for the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP), a critical program that helps low-income households pay their heating and electric bills during the winter months.

Cassandra Lovejoy with the National Energy Assistance Directors Association says the situation is unlike anything states have seen before.

“This is an unprecedented situation for LIHEAP,” Lovejoy said. “We have not ever had this happen before,” adding that “states all around the country are relying on carryover funds of just a little bit of money that they can hold over from the previous year.”

In Michigan, those carryover funds are

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