Cash and crisis grants for the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program will be available to eligible households through April 13, the Department of Public Welfare announced this week.

This is the second extension of the application deadline since the LIHEAP program opened last November.

The federally funded LIHEAP program helps low-income households pay for a variety of home heating fuel sources and furnace repairs during the winter months.

Cash grants are designed to help families pay their home heating bills and are based on household income, family size, fuel type and heating region. This year, a family of four with an annual income of up to $30,000 can qualify for assistance.

In addition to verification of income and household size, applicants must provide a recent energy bill or a statement from their fuel provider stating the type of fuel they use and their customer status.

Crisis grants are approved for families with heating emergencies, such as mechanical breakdowns or unexpected fuel shortages. In most counties, individuals seeking crisis grants should contact their county assistance office.

Residents of the nine counties listed below are encouraged to directly contact the agencies that operate the crisis component in their areas:

· Allegheny – Allegheny County Department of Human Services, 1-800-851-3838;

· Carbon – Carbon County Action Committee, 610-377-6400;

· Centre – Central PA Community Action Agency, 814-765-1551, or Millheim Family Service Center, 814-349-5850;

· Lackawanna – Scranton-Lackawanna Human Development Agency, 570-963-6836;

· Lancaster – Community Action Program of Lancaster County, 717-299-7301;

· Luzerne – Commission on Economic Opportunity of Luzerne Co., 570-826-0510;

· Philadelphia – Department of Licenses and Inspections, 215-686-2590;

· Wyoming – Commission on Economic Opportunity of Wyoming Co., 570-836-4090; and

· York – Community Progress Council of York County, 717-846-4600.

To learn more about applying for heating assistance, contact the LIHEAP hotline at 1-866-857-7095, Monday through Friday or visit the DPW Energy Assistance webpage.

3/30/2007