Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program

The Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) is a grant that helps low-income families pay
their heating bills. 

To receive help… 

• You don’t have to be on public assistance 

•  You don’t need to have an unpaid heating bill 

•  You can either rent or own your home 

How does LIHEAP work? 
LIHEAP offers both cash and crisis grants. Families may apply for:
Cash Grants 

• help families pay their heating bills. 
•  grant payment is sent directly to your utility company or fuel provider. 

Crisis Grants 

• additional money given to families who are in jeopardy of losing their heat or have lost their heat already.

Who is eligible? 

You may qualify for a LIHEAP grant if your income meets the following income guidelines:

INCOME GUIDELINES 

2011 - 2012 LIHEAP

(For Homeowners and Renters)

 

Household  Maximum 

Size  Income 

1  $ 16,335 

2  $ 22,065 

3  $ 27,795 

4  $ 33,525 

5  $ 39,255 

6  $ 44,985 

7  $ 50,715 

8  $ 56,445 

9  $ 62,175 

10  $ 67,905 

Each Additional Person Add $ 5,730

YOU CAN APPLY ONLINE AT :  www.compass.state.pa.us 

 

Federal Grants

For the last 2 weeks or so, I've been doing some reach on some state grants and/or of assistance programs that  helps to lower energy costs for many residents. This is information will be used for our table this Friday outside of Bravo supermarket, when we're informing some of the New Brunswick community of several opportunities available to them and they don't even know it. These assistance programs or grants are not only applicable to New Brunswick, but to anyone in general who applies and meets the eligibility requirements.

The three main services available are:

1. The Weatherization Assistance Program (WPA)

2. Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Programs (LIHEAP) 

3. Universal Service Fund Prorgams (USF Pogram)

The Weatherization Assistance Program (WPA) is a program offered to assist elderly, handicapped and low-income families in weatherizing their homes, improving their heating system efficiency and conserving energy.

HOW DOES THE PROGRAM WORK?
The weatherization program has four steps:
1. An application is submitted to the local service provider to
determine program eligibility;
2. An energy audit of the home is conducted to identify needs;
3. The home is weatherized; and
4. Home is inspected to assure quality of work completed.
WHAT SERVICES ARE INCLUDED?
Services might include but are not limited to:

• air sealing of cracks and holes to reduce heat loss;
• insulation of attics and walls;
• heating system repairs or replacement;
• providing efficient lighting and refrigeration;
• window and/or outside door repair or replacement; and;
• minor repairs which are needed to ensure maximum efficiency of the weatherization services performed.

WHO IS ELIGIBLE FOR WEATHERIZATION SERVICES?
Eligibility is based on household income relative to federal low-income
guidelines. If a household contains a member who receives Supplemental
Security Income (SSI), Public Assistance, Food Stamps, or Home
Energy Assistance Program (HEAP) benefits, the household is considered
automatically eligible for weatherization services.

My Canvassing Experience

Since the week of March 30th, every single Friday up until last Friday, Dayana, Enrique & I have been going out in the New Brunswick area and speaking to some of the residents about the energy crisis we face today and some of the slight changes that can be done in their own homes. The areas in green indicate the streets we could canvass, while the areas in red we could not.

Every Friday we took off from the Rutgers Student Center and walked on for several hours, knocking and speaking to as much household's that we could reach. Fortunately, every Friday the weather was amazing, which put to us to an advantage. We spoke to each resident about how expensive everything has become and money being a big issue. Every resident we spoke to agreed that they were paying alot on their energy bills, including electricity, oil, etc.

Our main goal was to try and get as many people to agree to get their houses weatherized, which since the day we started until our last canvassing last Friday, we got about 8 houses, which was great. Every house we do counts! We also made sure to have every resident sign an energy pledge, even if they were not interested in our weatherization services.

Some of the people we've encountered really didn't believe us when we first started that our services were free. I mean what things are free now a days? So most people thought it was probably a scam, but in reality when we explained to them exactly what we do and how they can contact us, most agreed to our services.