FERRIDAY &8212; It&8217;s a good thing winter is on the way out, because LaSalle Community Action Association&8217;s program to winterize houses has run out of money for fiscal 2005.

The Energy Weatherization Program, which provides repairs to qualifying residents of 12 parishes, employs seven full-time carpenters.

The program is based in the Concordia Parish Outreach Center&8217;s Ferriday office.

The center&8217;s coordinator, Henderson Cook Jr., said the program wrapped up early and the carpenters were laid off.

&8220;This is the first time we&8217;ve had to lay people off,&8221; he said. &8220;We didn&8217;t have enough money to carry us over.&8221;

The program&8217;s fiscal year begins in April, when it will receive funding for the coming year and when Cook anticipates being able to re-hire some of the carpenters.

&8220;If we get enough money, we can hire them all back, but I don&8217;t know how much we&8217;re getting,&8221; he said.

Each of LaSalle&8217;s programs, which include outreach, Medicaid, emergency assistance and bill payment, among others designed to help low-income people achieve self-sufficiency, is individually funded.

As such, funding received for one program may not be spent on any other program.

The weatherization program is funded with federal money administered by the state.

For 2005, the weatherization program received $438,883 to work on 80 houses throughout the service area.

LaSalle CAA Executive Director Dorothy Oliver said they got all 80 houses finished, but it wasn&8217;t 12 months worth of work.

&8220;The reason we had to lay them off because we didn&8217;t get as much money this year as we did the previous year,&8221; she said.

Oliver anticipates receiving the same amount of money in the first allocation for the coming fiscal year. She knows, however, that nothing is certain these days.

&8220;I know the state is going to be allocating more to repair New Orleans,&8221; she said.

The program&8217;s inspector, Terrence Thomas, said he knows the southern part of the state needs &8212; and will get &8212; a lot of financial attention but hopes the rest of the state isn&8217;t forgotten about.

&8220;We&8217;re hurting up here, too,&8221; he said.

&8220;We&8217;ve taken so many evacuees up here and need help caring for them.&8221;