Arkansas residents who applied and were approved can expect benefits from the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program starting July 10.
Over a dozen counties will be issued payments for the summer, as announced by the Central Arkansas Development Council. Those counties are Calhoun, Clark, Columbia, Dallas, Hempstead, Hot Spring, Howard, Lafayette, Little River, Lonoke, Miller, Montgomery, Nevada, Ouachita, Pike, Pulaski, Saline, Sevier, and Union.
The Arkansas Department of Human Services opened applications for low-income households interested in receiving assistance for summer cooling bills earlier this year.
The amount of assistance depends on the number of individuals in a home, household income, and the size of the cooling bill. The maximum amount of relief for cooling that residents can receive is $475, and the minimum cooling payment is $48.
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Arkansas LIHEAP offers assistance in paying for fuels through the summer program and provides two options for benefit payments. The regular benefit is a fixed benefit based on household size and income. The crisis benefit is open to those who are experiencing financial hardships and need help keeping their power turned on. The maximum amount is $2000 for the summer, according to the LIHEAP Clearinghouse in contract with the Department of Health and Human Services.
In order to apply for LIHEAP, households must apply through the organization that operates within the county they live. The deadline to apply for LIHEAP is Sept. 30, 2023, and additional application information can be found on the CADC website.