Heating Assistance Available Dec. 3 for Low-Income Households

OKLAHOMA CAPITOL---Limited assistance to cover some winter heating costs will be available through the Oklahoma Department of Human Services’ Human Services Centers across Oklahoma Dec. 3, an official said.

“Oklahoma’s Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program is expected to receive federal funding totaling less than $9 million this winter,” said Mel Phillips, OKDHS LIHEAP coordinator. “The program application period will remain open until Dec. 21 or until funds run out.”

OKDHS administers the federal LIHEAP in Oklahoma.

LIHEAP assistance was provided for nearly 100,000 Oklahoma households last winter, according to Phillips. Many, but not all households that receive public assistance through OKDHS will be automatically authorized for LIHEAP and will not need to apply. He added that OKDHS has notified these households of their eligibility.

Most other households that receive some type of public assistance, such as Food Stamps, Temporary Assistance to Needy Families 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 don’t receive public assistance may also be eligible for limited home heating assistance.”

Applicants for LIHEAP must have their latest heating utility bill and proof of income information when applying at local Human Services Centers.

For more information about LIHEAP, contact the local OKDHS Human Services Center in the community, Phillips added.

The maximum LIHEAP income guidelines are:

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