Pennsylvania’s Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program will open for applications for 2022-23 on Tuesday, Nov. 1.
LIHEAP provides eligible households with cash assistance to pay heating bills. The money goes directly to the service provider and is a grant, so it does not need to be paid back.
Households earning up to 150% of the federal poverty level are eligible: For a family of four, that’s $41,625.
There are two types of LIHEAP grants: Regular cash grants; and emergency grants for households at imminent risk of having their heat shut off.
In 2021-22, American Rescue Plan Act funds were used to increase LIHEAP benefits, pushing the maximum grant amount up to $1,500. That’s no longer the case this season: For 2021-22, grants will range from $300 to $1,000.
For more information, click here. To apply, click here, call (866) 550-4355 or visit a county assistance office.
“Nobody should ever have to worry that their heat will be shut off during the coldest and darkest months of the year, so I encourage anyone who may need help, or anyone who has loved ones or neighbors who could benefit from this program, to apply for LIHEAP today,” said Human Services Deputy Secretary Inez Titus, who heads the Office of Income Maintenance.
In 2021-22, LIHEAP distributed $187.6 million in regular cash grants to 329,230 households and $73.0 million in crisis grants to 112,029 households.
Besides LIHEAP, many utilities offer assistance programs of their own. Assistance may also be available through local nonprofits.
Further protection comes through the state’s annual winter utility shutoff moratorium, which will take effect at the start of next month. It bars utilities regulated by the Public Utility Commission from terminating service to low-income households between Dec. 1 and March 31.
