Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP)

It's the time of year that your local community action will be offering heating assistance to lower income families.

Due to the current cost of living, many people that might not have received assistance before have found themselves applying. Many states are allowing more income, making it possible for many people to get help.

According to their website, "The mission of the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) is to assist low income households, particularly those with the lowest incomes that pay a high proportion of household income for home energy, primarily in meeting their immediate home energy needs."

Basically, this means that you can get help paying your electric or gas bill. Whatever one your heat falls under. If you have gas heat, you would get assistance towards your gas bill. The funds are paid directly to your local utility company.

Unlike some Federal programs, applications, eligibility rules, types of assistance, and benefit levels can vary greatly among LIHEAP programs.

To find out where your local office is, you will need to contact the National Energy Assistance Referral (NEAR) project. NEAR is a free service for persons who want information on where to apply for LIHEAP help. NEAR can be contacted by e-mail energy assistance@ncat.org (please include your city, county and state along with your e-mail message) or by using NEAR's toll-free phone number 1-866-674-6327 (or 1-866-NRG-NEAR).