Changes coming to LIHEAP program

DECATUR, Ill. (WAND) - The Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) is a nationwide program that helps families with energy costs.

With pandemic-era funding coming to a close, many assistance programs are ending. This includes the summer energy assistance that Sangamon County provided to LIHEAP recipients.

"In the last several years, a summer program was an additional $100 placed on each account of anyone that we assisted with LIHEAP that previous year," said Dave MacDonna, the Executive Director of Sangamon County Community Resources. "We also have Utility Disconnect Assistance Program where we request a list of people who didn't have funds to pay and were going to be disconnected and we paid those funds. Those funds are not available this year at all. So we're not going to be able to do either one of those programs this summer."

The biggest changes coming to the LIHEAP program have to do with the timeline of the assistance. Last year, applications were open from September 1st to the end of May. This year, applications will be open from October 2nd to August 1th.

"October will be a priority period, so that means in October, we will serve seniors. the disabled, and families with children under the age of six," said Kathy Walk, the Energy Program Director for CEFS Economic Opportunity Corp.

In November, LIHEAP programs will begin accepting applications from anyone else who is eligible.

For more information on who is eligible for LIHEAP, and when applications are open, click here.