If you are struggling to pay rent and utilities, you may qualify for assistance through the following programs listed below.
LIHEAP
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), through the Office of Community Services (OCS) at the Administration for Children and Families (ACF), announced the release of $3.7 billion in LIHEAP funding to all 50 states, the District of Columbia, three territories, and more than 125 tribes. This amount includes the regular block grant appropriation and an additional $100 million appropriated for FY 2024 from President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA).
Kansas was awarded a total of $36,012,668.00 to assist low-income families ahead of the winter season. This includes:
- $35,076,299 from the regular LIHEAP block grant funding
- $936,369 in funding appropriated for FY2024 from IIJA
In addition, OCS is also officially launching the 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.
The LIHEAP Eligibility Tool can be found on www.energyhelp.us and is available in Spanish, Traditional Chinese, and Simplified Chinese.
OCS has also released the 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.
Individuals interested in applying for energy assistance can also visit wwwenergyhelp.us or call the National Energy Assistance Referral (NEAR) hotline toll-free at:1-866-674-6327.
The Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) helps low-income households pay home heating and cooling bills, prevent energy shutoffs, restore services, make minor energy-related home repairs, and weatherize homes to make them more energy efficient.