Need assistance with home energy bills? State program can help – Mahoning Matters

COLUMBUS — The Ohio Development Services Agency is reminding Ohioans that a program is available to help with their home energy bills. The Home Energy Assistance Program helps Ohioans at or below 175 percent of the federal poverty guidelines pay their heating bills.

Applied directly to a customer’s utility or bulk fuel bill, the benefit can help manage heating

costs. Ohioans can click here to apply online, download a copy of the application or find contact information for a local Energy Assistance Provider. When applying, individuals need to have copies of the following documents:

• Most recent utility bill;
• A list of all household members (including birth dates and Social Security numbers);
• Proof of income for the past 30 days for all household members (12 months for certain
• income types);
• Proof of U.S. citizenship or legal residency for all household members;
• Proof of disability (if applicable).

HEAP benefits are applied to an individual’s energy bill after Jan. 1. Applications for the program must be received by May 31, 2021.

This is not an emergency program. Low-income households that have been disconnected (or have a pending disconnection notice), need to establish new service, need to pay to transfer service, have 25 percent (or less) of bulk fuel supply remaining or have a household member who was diagnosed with COVID-19 also may be eligible for the HEAP Winter Crisis Program, which started Nov. 1. 

If you need immediate assistance with your energy bills, contact your local EAP. A list of providers can be found here.

Applications for the HEAP Winter Crisis Program must be received by March 31, 2021. For more information on HEAP, call 800-282-0880 or click here. Hearing-impaired customers can dial 711 for assistance. Original Source: https://www.mahoningmatters.com/local-news/need-assistance-with-home-energy-bills-state-program-can-help-2856766