With colder temperatures arriving, home heating sources may be firing up, and for some households, the cost to keep those going could be extensive.

Greene County New Opportunities Coordinator Teresa Lansman invites individuals and families to apply for the Low Income Heating Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) that provides financial relief to offset the higher costs of heating your home in the colder months. Sources say that there is some uncertainty about the funding of the program due to the partial federal government shutdown, Lansman encourages anyone interested to apply because a guarantee of LIHEAP is the protection of not having heat and electricity turned off until April 1st.

“I know I’ve talked to several that ended up having an $800 utility bill, nobody can pay that for a month. And it might take a little bit to chunk that down. So having the protection from being disconnected can go a long ways this time of year.”

Lansman points out that LIHEAP follows the 200 percent below federal poverty level guidelines. She advocates for households to sign up sooner than later, because it can take a couple of weeks before you are qualified. Lansman says when scheduling an appointment to register for LIHEAP, make sure you have Social Security cards or driver’s licenses for everyone in the home, along with proof of income for the last 30 days and the most recent gas and electric billing statement. The applications are accepted through April 30th.

Contact New Opportunities Greene County at 515-386-2719 to schedule an appointment.