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Economic Support staff report WHEAP caseloads and positive consortium review
Summary
Economic Support staff reported WHEAP numbers for the county (691 applied; 615 paid; 115 crisis benefits; 70 HVAC benefits; 7 water conservation) and said the Northern Income Maintenance Consortium received positive Management Evaluation Review findings for FoodShare compliance.
Jeanine Spuhler told the Bayfield County Human Services Board on May 28 that Economic Support staff continued heavy workload while supporting consortium initiatives and planning for program changes. She said the Northern Income Maintenance Consortium recognized lead‑worker Aaron Kalmon for outstanding work and that the consortium received positive findings from a Management Evaluation Review (MER) for FoodShare compliance.
Spuhler provided WHEAP counts for Program Year 2026: 691 total households applied for energy assistance, 615 households paid, 115 households received a crisis benefit, 70 households received an HVAC benefit, and 7 households received a water conservation benefit. She said county processing showed a 1% caseload increase compared with a 37% decrease for the contracted vendor and an overall program decrease of 5% year‑over‑year compared with a statewide 13% decrease.
Board members asked what explained the statewide drop; Spuhler said it may be in part due to non‑citizen households choosing not to apply. Staff said planning for PY27 is underway and at least one additional worker is being trained to support Energy Assistance processing.
