By Tiara Battle

VALDOSTA – Georgia Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) is a federally-funded program used to assist low income families in paying for energy costs to cool their homes.

The program began last Wednesday, May 1 and is intended for the following:

• Low-income eligible households,

• Energy crisis assistance to households experiencing heating or cooling emergencies that are life threatening,

• Provide long-term, low-cost residential weatherization assistance

Those who quality for the program will receive from $350 to $400 to help pay to keep their homes cool in the hot summer months approaching.

Qualification is determined by income, size of household and if there is an elderly individual in the household.

The Director of the Department for Family and Children services, Tom Rawlings, stated that people will be extremely hot in the coming months and that some of them will be able to apply to have cooling assistance for their homes.

Georgia LIHEAP Eligibility Requirements that need to be met are

• The applicant needs to be a U.S. citizen or legally admitted immigrant.
• Their total gross annual household income needs to be at or below 60% of the State’s Median Income. View Eligibility Guidelines
• The applicant needs to have full responsibility for paying the cost of energy bill for the primary home heating source.

How many households are helped by the program
In FY 2018, there were 140,795 households served; 137,385 in FY 2017 and 129,446 in FY 2016

How to contact the LIHEAP program in your area
Applications for all LIHEAP services are made through a local Community Action Agency. The assistance is available in all 159 counties in Georgia. You can locate Community Action Agencies by clicking on www.georgiacaa.org. The State LIHEAP Office number is 404-657-3427.