Need Help Paying Utility Bills? First-Come-First-Served Applications Now Open For PIPP, LIHEAP Programs – kanecountyconnects.com

Kane County Board Chair Corinne Pierog is reminding Kane County residents that Illinois’ Percentage of Income Payment Plan and the federal Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program are now open.

Applications are taken on a first-come, first-served basis beginning Sept. 1, 2021. The PIPP application period runs through March 31, 2022, and the LIHEAP application period runs through May 31, 2022, while funds are available.

Customers from income eligible households can choose to participate in either program.

Eligible customers who enroll in PIPP, benefit from stabilized monthly bill amounts by receiving a monthly benefit towards their utility bill, and reductions on past-due amounts for each on-time payment made. Customers who apply for, and receive, LIHEAP are eligible for a grant, based on income and household size, applied to their electric bill.

The Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program 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. See How to Apply for more information.

For a complete list of LIHEAP application agencies based on county, see Where to Apply.  For additional program information check out the Frequently Asked Questions. Or call the LIHEAP Hotline at 1-877-411-WARM (9276).

Check the status of your LIHEAP application.

Expanded energy assistance programming builds on the administration’s $275 million Help Illinois Families (HIF) initiative, created to help reach an unprecedented number of families who have fallen behind on bills due to the pandemic. For more, visit helpillinoisfamilies.com.

SOURCE: Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity

Original Source: https://kanecountyconnects.com/2021/09/need-help-paying-utility-bills-first-come-first-served-applications-now-open-for-pipp-liheap-programs/