JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. — A low-income home energy assistance program received more money to help Missourians with their summer cooling bills.
The Department of Social Services announced an additional funding of $15 million for the Low-income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) that helps low-income Missourians with payments for cooling bills from June 1 through Sept. 30.
According to a press release, the additional money doubles the maximum benefit amount to $600.
To be eligible for the program, low-income Missourians must:
• Be responsible for paying home cooling costs
• Have $3,000 or less in bank accounts, retirement accounts, or investments
• Have a household income of 135% or less of the federal poverty level (a monthly income of $2,400 for a family of three or $2,897 for a family of four) and
• Be a U.S. citizen or legally admitted for permanent residence.
“We want Missourians to remain healthy, especially when dangerously high temperatures can make homes unsafe,” said Jennifer Tidball, Acting Director, and Department of Social Services. “More families than ever are struggling with financial hardships and may not have enough resources to pay the electric bill to cool their household and keep food on the table. We are grateful to utility companies for providing temporary relief to Missourians who cannot pay their utility bills; however, this cannot last forever. As we move Missouri’s Show Me Strong Recovery Plan forward, we want to make sure Missouri citizens know that LIHEAP may be available to help with cooling costs.”
To apply for the program, households need to complete one application form and then mail or fax the form to the office serving their community listed on last page of the application.
Missourians who have questions can use the DSS Virtual Assistant to get immediate answers to basic questions that are not specific to an individual’s case 24 hours a day or can call 855-FSD-INFO or 855-373-4636 Monday through Friday, 6 a.m. to 6:30 p.m.
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