LOW-INCOME HOME ENERGY ASSISTANCE PROGRAM (LIHEAP) WINTER CRISIS
LOW-INCOME HOME ENERGY ASSISTANCE PROGRAM (LIHEAP) WINTER CRISIS
The Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) Winter Crisis enrollment will begin on January 7 and run through March 15, 2025.
The Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) Winter Crisis is designed to provide assistance to eligible households experiencing a home heating crisis across various fuel types, including Electric, Natural Gas, Propane, Coal, Wood, and Fuel Oil.
Applications will be accepted during the enrollment period, on a first-come, first-serve basis. Income eligibility for the program is up to and including 150% of the Federal Poverty Guidelines.
Eligible households can apply for a benefit that covers the minimum needed to alleviate the crisis, up to the maximum benefit. Households can reapply each time they experience a crisis until they reach their maximum benefit. The benefits are paid directly to the household's fuel vendor.
Interested households should contact Gateway Community Action Agency at 1-800-927-1833 to schedule an appointment.
Applicants will need to provide the following documentation:
Proof of Social Security Number or Permanent Residence card (Green Card) for each member of the household.
Proof of all household’s (all members) income from the preceding month.
Most current electric bill, statement from your landlord if electricity is included in your rent, statement from utility company if you participate in a Pre-Pay Electric Program.
The account number and name on the account for main heating fuel sources and electric bill.
Applicants requesting assistance for natural gas or electric must bring a disconnect/past due notice (example: past due notice, termination notice, final notice, or utility arrearage payment plan balance). If your rent includes heat, you must bring a copy of your lease and eviction notice. Applicants who participate in a Pre-Pay Electric Program must bring a statement from the utility company that shows they have 10 days or less of prepaid electric service.
Assistance received during previous LIHEAP components does not affect a household's eligibility.
Community Action Kentucky administers LIHEAP in partnership with the Kentucky Cabinet for Health and Family Services who receive the funding as a pass-through block grant from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Applicants must provide all required documentation at time of application.
Funding provided by Kentucky Cabinet for Health and Family Services through block grant from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
LiHeap Forms
KENTUCKY POWER THAW PROGRAM
Purpose:
A Crisis style utility assistance program provides benefits to customers to resolve a crisis, usually related to a hardship that the customer has experienced. For example, a customer may require assistance to avoid a disconnect, needs help with a past due balance, or needs help to pay their bill as the result of a natural disaster, medical emergency, and/or other hardship. Applications will be taken in accordance with HEA program guidelines. CAA’s can accept applications for crisis style programs during the following windows on a first come, first served basis until funds are expended:
KENTUCKY POWER HEART PROGRAM
Purpose:
These utility programs are intended to provide assistance to households with their residential utility bills who are customers of the utility. This is an outline of the application process for all HEA Programs. Although the overall process is the same, each utility’s HEA Program may have additional eligibility criteria as described below and differ in benefit amounts and benefit months. This along with the benefit types as well as the initial number of slots available to each CAA at the start of the program year is provided by the utility at the beginning of the program year. Unused slots may be transferred between CAAs and/or between counties within a CAA to ensure maximum utilization of funds.
GOODWILL VOUCHER PROGRAM
Purpose:
Goodwill Industries of Kentucky, Inc have partnered with Gateway Community Action to distribute Goodwill vouchers to individuals in need and provide them with a voucher that the client can exchange for goods at participating Goodwill stores. There are no refunds from Goodwill if the entirety of the voucher is not used. Vouchers will range from $25-$75 per household. In situations of a house fire, households would be eligible to receive up to $250 in vouchers.
Funding available January 1-December 15th.
Vouchers have no monetary value and can only be used for credit in participating Goodwill stores operated by Goodwill Industries of Kentucky, Inc.
"With my husband getting laid off we were finding it hard to pay our bills. Thanks to Gateway's assistance, we were able to get some help on our electric. We will be forever grateful."
This project is funded, in part, through Community Action Kentucky (CAK), the Cabinet for Health and Family Services, and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS).