Illinois LIHEAP Heating Help Opens to All Eligible Households November 1: Benefits Estimated at $58 to $2,564
Illinois' Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) opened to all remaining income-eligible households on November 1. According to the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity (DCEO), the program first opened on October 1 to four priority groups: adults 60 and older, people with disabilities, households with a child age 5 or younger, and households that are disconnected, facing disconnection, or have less than 25 percent of their propane supply remaining.
Applications for this season run through August 13, 2027, or until the money runs out. The benefit is a one-time payment, based on a percentage of average gas and electric bills, sent to the household's utility; renters whose heat is included in the rent may receive a cash benefit instead. The state's final plan for this season estimates benefits from $58 to $2,564, and it does not state what a given household will receive.
For ComEd and Nicor Gas customers, DCEO puts the threshold at combined gross income for the 30 days before applying at or below 300 percent of the federal poverty guidelines, $8,250 for a household of four; customers of other utilities and energy vendors must be at or below 60 percent of the state median income.
Applications start with the online Request for Services form at helpillinoisfamilies.com, after which a local agency makes contact to complete the process; in McHenry County, that agency is the McHenry County Housing Authority. DCEO says applicants who have not heard back within three weeks should contact the agency directly, and anyone with a disconnect notice should call right away. The state call center is 1-833-711-0374.
Illinois LIHEAP application portal
(Source: Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity)
Source: Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity
Published by GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 燃气火焰（资料图）。Matthew Bellemare 摄，CC BY-SA 3.0，经 Wikimedia Commons。 / A natural gas flame (file photo). Photo by Matthew Bellemare, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
