Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program
Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program
About
The Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) helps eligible low-income households pay for home energy services (primarily heating during winter months). Energy costs can place severe and continuing stress on a family’s budget. In some instances, households are forced to make painful decisions regarding which bills to pay and which necessities to survive without. Illinois residents with a household income that does not exceed an amount determined annually by the Department of Commerce are eligible. Annual eligibility levels are determined based on available funding and may not exceed 200% of the federal nonfarm poverty level.
Energy assistance builds on the administration’s Help Illinois Families initiative, created in 2020 to help reach an unprecedented number of families in crisis and needing financial assistance for utility bills and other household expenses due to the pandemic. For more, visit helpillinoisfamilies.com.