Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program Kicks Off For Season

Provided by the Pennsylvania Department of Human Services: 

The Pennsylvania Department of Human Services Acting Secretary Teresa Miller, along with Department of Aging Secretary Teresa Osborne, joined by the Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission (PUC) Chairman Gladys M. Brown, and representatives from local utility companies kicked off the start of the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) application process for the 2017-18 season this week at the United Way of Lancaster County.

LIHEAP provides assistance for home heating bills to keep low-income Pennsylvanians warm and safe during the winter months. Assistance is available for renters and homeowners. Crisis and regular LIHEAP applications begin November 1, 2017 and end April 6, 2018.

“This federally funded program provided hundreds of thousands of Pennsylvania’s families with a warm place to live during last winter,” said Acting Secretary Miller. “That number includes thousands of the commonwealth’s most vulnerable citizens – children, older Pennsylvanians, and individuals with a disability.”

During the 2016-17 LIHEAP season, 348,672 households statewide received $116,494,464 million in LIHEAP cash benefits. These households received an average benefit of $334.

“This is the time of year when heating costs begin to rise, and many of our older Pennsylvanians are trying to stretch every dollar to make ends meet,” said Secretary Osborne. “This funding is critical to ensuring that those who are experiencing financial hardships retain utility services and remain in a warm home.”

“LIHEAP is an important tool for helping Pennsylvania families stay warm and safe during the winter, and the PUC has a long history of supporting this important service,” said Chairman Brown. “Now is the time for consumers to enroll in LIHEAP, as well as to also explore the programs that are available from their utilities or from various non-profit groups.”

Eligibility for the 2017-18 LIHEAP season is set at 150 percent of the federal poverty income guidelines. The chart below shows the maximum income allowed for eligibility based on household size.

Each additional person in the household adds $6,240 to the maximum income allowed for eligibility.

“The Wolf Administration is proud of the help the program provides and encourages recipients who need assistance with heating bills to apply before the worst of the winter weather arrives,” said Miller.

Online applications can be completed by visiting www.compass.state.pa.us. Paper applications are available through local county assistance offices, or interested applicants can download and print an application from the department’s website.

For helpful tips on keeping warm throughout the winter while saving money on utility costs, visit www.energysavers.gov.

For more information on LIHEAP, visit www.dhs.pa.gov.