The Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity’s Office of Energy Assistance has announced that the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) will begin accepting applications for winter heating assistance for seniors and people with disabilities beginning September 1, 2016.
LIHEAP and the Percentage of Income Payment Plan (PIPP) program are funded as part of the stopgap funding plan signed into law by Gov. Rauner.
LIHEAP is a state and federally funded energy assistance program for low-income families, in which heating bill payments are made on behalf of households. Applications are processed through a network of 35 local administering agencies around the state. These agencies will begin accepting applications on a first-come, first-served basis from the elderly and people with disabilities starting on Sept. 1.
For a complete listing of LIHEAP’s local administering agencies and additional information about the program, go to http://www.illinois.gov/dceo/CommunityServices/UtilityBillAssistance/Pages/default.aspx or call the energy assistance toll-free hotline at 1-877-411-WARM.