HARRISBURG — Gov. Tom Wolf joined other officials Monday to announce the start of the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program and explain the application process for the 2015-16 season.
“This federally funded program provides a basic human need — a warm place to live — for thousands of Pennsylvanians during the colder months,” said Mr. Wolf at the event in the Hamilton Health Center in Harrisburg.
LIHEAP provides assistance for home heating bills for low-income Pennsylvanians during the winter months. It’s available to renters and homeowners. Crisis and regular LIHEAP grants are available now through April 1.
“LIHEAP helped approximately 400,000 Pennsylvania households stay warm during last winter, including hundreds of thousands of homes with older Pennsylvanians, children and individuals who live with a disability,” said Ted Dallas, Department of Human Services secretary. “We encourage anyone who needs help with their heating bills to apply before the worst of the winter weather arrives and be prepared.”
Online applications can be completed by visiting www.compass.state.pa.us. Paper applications are still available through local county assistance offices, or interested applicants can download and print an application from the department’s website.
In preparation for the LIHEAP season, DHS in collaboration with the regulated utilities that operate in Pennsylvania implemented a program to help households with their past-due utility bills. The program was funded with $2.2 million from the 2014-15 LIHEAP year. To date, DHS has issued 9,105 supplemental crisis grants totaling over $1.8 million to resolve the then-pending crisis.
For more information on the LIHEAP program, or to download an application, visit the Department of Human Services website at www.dhs.pa.gov. Eligibility for the 2015-16 LIHEAP season is set at 150 percent of the federal poverty income guidelines.
First Published: November 3, 2015, 5:00 a.m.