Senate News Update
From Senator Jane Earll
January 5, 2007

Let "LIHEAP" Help You This Winter 

As winter drags on, it's hard not to peak at the calendar and count the days until spring.

The anticipation of longer, warmer days is perfectly normal, but we just have to wait. Of course, cold weather is more than an annoyance if you're having trouble heating your home. 

Home heating is something that families simply cannot go without. It puts health at risk, especially among the frail. Fortunately, help is available through the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP). Applications for help are now being accepted. 

The program consists of two "rounds," the regular energy assistance cash grant to assist both homeowners and renters with monthly fuel bills, and the crisis grant, up to $300, to address emergencies such as mechanical breakdowns or fuel shortages.  Crisis requests in Erie County are being referred to GECAC for processing.

In the past, regular LIHEAP dollars and the crisis funding were distributed on separate schedules. This year, however, both rounds of assistance are tentatively scheduled to end on March 22, 2007, or when the funds are depleted, whichever occurs first.

This year, up to 67,000 additional households will be eligible for LIHEAP assistance. In September, the income eligibility was raised from 135 percent to 150 percent of the Federal Poverty Income Guidelines.

Single individuals may now qualify for assistance if they earn less than $14,700 annually, up from $12,920 last year. A household of two may now be eligible if their combined annual income does not exceed $19,800; a household of four, $30,000; and a household of five, $35,100.

To apply for LIHEAP, call the Erie County Assistance Office at 814-461-2002.  You can also call toll-free at 1-800-635-1014.  If you have Internet access, you can apply electronically via the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Access to Social Services (COMPASS) Web site at www.compass.state.pa.us. 

Applicants will be asked for information, such as names, Social Security numbers and proof of income for all members of the household. You should also have a recent heating bill handy. 

In addition to LIHEAP, many utility companies have their own assistance plans. Families in need should check with their heating fuel and electricity supplier for more information.

Sometimes, all it takes is a temporary rough patch to put us in a financial hole and make it impossible to pay the heating bill. The good news is, help is available.  If you need home heating help, I encourage you to look into LIHEAP. If you know a family struggling to pay heating bills, please pass along this information.

As always, if you have any questions on this or another state government matter, please do not hesitate to contact my office directly at (814) 453-2515.