Assistance With Heating Costs Available for Low-Income Households

OKLAHOMA CAPITOL -- Help with home-heating costs will be available across the state this winter through the federal Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) administered by the Oklahoma Department of Human Services.
The application period for assistance through OKDHS is Dec. 1-15, or until all available funds are spent.

Federal funding for the current LIHEAP program in Oklahoma is projected to be less than $7.6 million (an amount close to last year’s funding). Approximately 85,000 households received LIHEAP assistance last year.

Mel Phillips, OKDHS LIHEAP coordinator, said many, but not all households that receive public assistance through OKDHS will be automatically authorized for LIHEAP and will not need to fill out an application. He said OKDHS will notify these households of their eligibility.

Most other households that receive some type of public assistance – food stamps, Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) or state supplemental payments to the aged, blind or disabled will be mailed LIHEAP applications.

“Eligibility for help through LIHEAP is based on household income and assets,” Phillips said. “Low-income households that do not receive public assistance may also be eligible for home-heating assistance. It is important that persons requesting LIHEAP assistance should have their household’s latest heating bill and income information when applying.”
Phillips said the reason applicants are asked to bring their latest heating bill is because payments are usually made out directly to the applicant’s utility provider.

More than 488,000 households have been helped during the past six years through LIHEAP, totaling more than $69 million in assistance for needy Oklahomans.

The maximum income guidelines are:

Interested applicants should contact their local OKDHS office for further information.

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