Can't Pay The Heat Bill? Applications Open For Assistance Program

WILL COUNTY, IL — Will County residents who struggle to pay their winter utilities or furnace repairs still have time to apply for federal assistance that will help with those bills.

Applications are being accepted for the federal Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program, which is designed to help people safely heat their homes during the winter. Applications are accepted until May, or when the funds run out. They are accepted on a first-come, first-served basis. The program is administered by Will County Center for Community Concerns.

Money is still available for people 60 and older, those who have disabilities, and those whose utilities have been disconnected or who have received shut-off notices. The program also is open for households with annual incomes at 150 percent of the federal poverty level. For a single-person household, that would be a monthly income of up to $1,518. For a two-person household, the monthly threshold would be $2,058; for a three-person household, $2,598; and for a family of four, $3,138.

Applications are taken at the Will County Center for Community Concerns located at 2455 Glenwood Ave., Joliet, from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday, and from 8 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. on Wednesday.

For more information, call the center at 815-722-0722 or visit its website at www.wcccc.net.

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