This week, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), through the Administration for Children and Families (ACF), released nearly $3.7 billion in Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) funding to help households with their home energy costs. The funding will help ensure households across the country have the support they need to maintain safe and healthy indoor temperatures, especially as the winter season approaches. With this release, the Biden-Harris Administration has invested nearly $22 billion in LIHEAP to date, which is part of the Administration’s broader efforts to lower costs for American families. The funding released today is part of President Biden’s Investing in America agenda, which includes $100 million in increased funding from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law in addition to regular appropriations from the Continuing Appropriations Act, 2024.
“LIHEAP is critical to lowering energy costs for families, and protecting the health and safety of households, particularly those that include older adults, individuals with disabilities, and young children,” said HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra. “With additional support from President Biden’s Investing in America agenda, this essential program will help households keep the heat on in the winter and stay cool in the summer while still being able to afford other essentials necessary for good health like food, medicine, and housing.”
“LIHEAP is a lifeline for households across the country who need support with their home energy bills,” said ACF Acting Assistant Secretary Jeff Hild. “Last year alone LIHEAP served more than six million households. By helping to alleviate the burden of home energy costs, LIHEAP advances ACF’s mission to promote the economic and social well-being of children, families, and communities.”
LIHEAP is administered by ACF’s Office of Community Services (OCS). Every year, OCS releases funding to states, tribes and territories to assist families and individuals with heating assistance, cooling assistance, home energy equipment repair and replacement and minor energy-related home repairs.
Alongside today’s funding release, ACF is also officially launching a LIHEAP eligibility tool. This user-friendly tool allows households across the country to quickly identify if they might be eligible for LIHEAP assistance by inputting basic information like income and household size.
“We know that for families and individuals with low incomes, many of whom work overtime or work multiple jobs to make ends meet, it can often be difficult and time consuming to figure out if they meet the eligibility requirements for a specific program,” said OCS Director Dr. Lanikque Howard. “The LIHEAP eligibility tool alleviates some of this burden by allowing households to more quickly identify if they might be eligible in their service area.”
The LIHEAP eligibility tool can be found at energyhelp.us and is available in Spanish, traditional Chinese and simplified Chinese. Individuals interested in applying for energy assistance can also visit energyhelp.us or call the National Energy Assistance Referral (NEAR) hotline toll-free at 866-674-6327.
OCS has also released a LIHEAP heating assistance toolkit, which includes a variety of outreach materials, spotlight videos and winter safety resources designed to help keep families safe and warm during cold weather.
For more information about other anti-poverty strategies administered by the Office of Community Services at the Administration for Children and Families, visit https://www.acf.hhs.gov/ocs/help.
