Missouri’s Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) will be offering enhanced benefits to eligible Missourians through the winter months.
“We are very pleased to announce this improvement to the Energy Crisis Intervention Program, especially given the extreme winter weather our state is currently facing,” Gov. Mike Parson said. “Since many Missourians remain in crisis for subsequent months, paying only the minimum to keep a low-income household out of crisis tends to prolong the situation. Now, we can make it faster and easier to resolve a household’s crisis situation.”
- The program’s Energy Crisis Intervention Program, which runs from November to May, pays the minimum amount needed to get a household out of an energy shutdown. Starting now, the program will pledge up to $800 toward eligible customers’ balances.
- Missouri Department of Social Services (DSS) Acting Director Jennifer Tidball said the program would ensure vulnerable Missourians have access to energy during the winter months.
- Missouri provided more than $78 million in LIHEAP assistance in the 2020 fiscal year, reaching more than 108,000 households.
- Low-income Missourians must be responsible for paying home heating costs, be a U.S. citizen, and have $3,000 or less in their bank accounts to be eligible for the program.
- The Midwest is currently facing intense winter storms, including heavy snowfall and below-freezing temperatures. The storm is affecting everything from the state’s utilities to the legislature and industry.
Cameron Gerber studied journalism at Lincoln University. Prior to Lincoln, he earned an associate’s degree from State Fair Community College. Cameron is a native of Eldon, Missouri.
Contact Cameron at cameron@themissouritimes.com.
