{"id":21444,"date":"2025-10-24T10:09:19","date_gmt":"2025-10-24T15:09:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.thexradio.com\/news\/?post_type=tribe_events&#038;p=21444"},"modified":"2025-10-24T10:11:24","modified_gmt":"2025-10-24T15:11:24","slug":"21444","status":"publish","type":"tribe_events","link":"https:\/\/www.thexradio.com\/news\/calendar\/21444-21444\/","title":{"rendered":"Energy Assistance Program Starts"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"pdfprnt-buttons pdfprnt-buttons-tribe_events pdfprnt-top-right\"><a href=\"javascript: window.print()\" class=\"pdfprnt-button pdfprnt-button-print\" target=\"_self\" ><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.thexradio.com\/news\/wp-content\/plugins\/pdf-print\/images\/print.png\" alt=\"image_print\" title=\"Print Content\" \/><span class=\"pdfprnt-button-title pdfprnt-button-print-title\">Print<\/span><\/a><\/div><p>The Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) is now available for income qualified households.<\/p>\n<p>The CEFS Economic Opportunity Corporation, as administrator of the Energy Assistance Program in Christian, Clay, Effingham, Fayette, Montgomery, Moultrie, and Shelby counties, is pleased to announce that funds are available to assist income-eligible households with their natural gas, propane and\/or electric bills and furnace assistance for inoperable heating systems.<\/p>\n<p>Applications will be taken on a first-come, first-served basis, now through August 15, 2026, or until funding is exhausted.\u00a0 Households that receive a one-time benefit may return during the program year for a Reconnection Assistance or Furnace Assistance benefit(s), if needed.<\/p>\n<p>The program has expanded eligibility this year.\u00a0 Households must be at or below 60% of the state median income to receive a benefit from LIHEAP.\u00a0 The 30-day income guidelines for LIHEAP are based on State Median Income, Federal Poverty Guidelines, and the number of people living in the household.\u00a0 The income guidelines are as follows: 1 &#8211; $3,332; 2 &#8211; $4,357; 3 &#8211; $5,382; 4 &#8211; $6,407. Go to <a href=\"http:\/\/www.cefseoc.org\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">www.cefseoc.org<\/a> or <a href=\"http:\/\/www.liheapillinois.com\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">www.liheapillinois.com<\/a> to know income limits for households with 5 members and more.<\/p>\n<p>To apply, the following documentation is required:<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px;\">1.\u00a0 Proof of gross income from all household members for the prior 30-day period beginning with the date of application.<br \/>\n2.\u00a0 For all customers new to LIHEAP, and\/or for new household members of previous customers, proof of Social Security numbers (SSN) or Individual Taxpayer Identification Number (ITIN) for all household members.\u00a0 Individuals without an SSN or ITIN can still apply and CEFS will advise accordingly.<br \/>\n3.\u00a0 A copy of current heat and electric bills issued within the last 30 days.<br \/>\n4.\u00a0 Cash assistance is available for renters who can provide a copy of their lease\/rental agreement showing their heating costs are included in the rent.<br \/>\n5.\u00a0 Other documents may be needed based on your household situation.\u00a0 If you have questions regarding this, please call our office.<\/p>\n<p>Appointments can be made by contacting the CEFS Effingham County Outreach office at 1010 W. Jefferson St. Effingham, phone 217-347-7514 Monday through Friday 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.<\/p>\n<p>In order that no one is denied the opportunity to make an application we will continue to take applications in person or by phone.\u00a0 Required documentation can be submitted in-person, mail or electronically.\u00a0 If you require any special accommodation, please contact the local CEFS Outreach office in your county to arrange.<\/p>\n<p>Income eligible LIHEAP customers of Ameren Illinois will continue to receive a monthly discount on their natural gas bill through the Low-Income Discount Rates.\u00a0 Visit <a href=\"http:\/\/liheapillinois.com\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">liheapillinois.com<\/a> or <a href=\"http:\/\/www.cefseoc.org\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">www.cefseoc.org<\/a> to know more details.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) is now available for income qualified households. The CEFS Economic Opportunity Corporation, as administrator of the Energy Assistance Program in Christian, Clay, Effingham, [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":0,"template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_lmt_disableupdate":"no","_lmt_disable":"","_tribe_events_status":"","_tribe_events_status_reason":"","footnotes":""},"tags":[],"tribe_events_cat":[40],"class_list":["post-21444","tribe_events","type-tribe_events","status-publish","hentry","tribe_events_cat-community-calendar","cat_community-calendar"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.5 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Energy Assistance Program Starts - Effingham&#039;s News and Sports Leader, 979XFM and KJ Country 102.3<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Effingham&#039;s News and Sports Leader\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.thexradio.com\/news\/calendar\/21444-21444\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Energy Assistance Program Starts - 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