Illinois has $240 million available for heating and electric bills this winter, and applications run through August 13, 2027, or until the money runs out. Gov. JB Pritzker’s office says the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program, known as LIHEAP, opened October 1 for a priority group that includes adults 60 and older, and every other income-eligible household can apply starting November 1. With a fixed pot, August 13 is the last possible day rather than a promise that money will remain. Last season the program reached 360,500 households.
Who applies October 1 and who waits until November
The priority group is made up of adults 60 and older, people with a disability, families with a child 5 or younger, and households that are already disconnected, hold a disconnection notice or have less than 25 percent left in a propane tank. The Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity, which runs the program and is known as DCEO, narrows the notice category to a shut-off date within seven days. Those households have been able to apply since October 1.
Every household also has to fall under an income cap measured over the 30 days before the application. The governor’s announcement lists gross income limits of $3,990 for one person, $5,410 for two, $6,830 for three and $8,250 for four, rising to $11,090 for six. The limit applies to the combined income of everyone in the household…