HHS Provides an Additional $1.2 Billion to States to Help Low-Income Households with Energy Costs

HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius today announced the release of $1.2 billion to states to help low income citizens in the coming weeks with their heating bills. These funds represent grants to states, tribes and territories under the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP).

LIHEAP helps eligible individuals families pay the costs of heating and insulating their homes in the winter and cooling their homes in the summer. HHS is releasing such a large allocation of LIHEAP funds now in order to ensure that states have resources available to support their energy assistance programs as the weather turns colder and the nation faces high unemployment rates.

For a complete list of state allocations of the funds released today go to http://www.acf.hhs.gov/news/press/2010/liheap_2010.html.

Individuals interested in applying for energy assistance should contact their local/state LIHEAP agency. For more information, go to http://www.acf.hhs.gov/programs/ocs/liheap/ or http://www.acf.hhs.gov/programs/ocs/liheap/brochure/brochure.html.