The Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) provides home energy assistance to help eligible low-income households meet their home heating and/or cooling needs.

LIHEAP Programs include:
    Direct Assistance (DA). This program is designed to provide financial assistance before the initial onset of an emergency.

    Selected LIHEAP Assistance Payment Plan (SLAPP). This program is designed as an alternative payment process for customers whose monthly utility bills include charges that cannot be paid with LIHEAP funds (such as water, sanitation, products and services, or outdoor lights).
     
    Emergency Crisis Intervention Program (ECIP). With a documented emergency, customers may qualify for ECIP. The program is designed to intervene in energy-related crisis situations.

The Low Income Home Energy Assistance program is called LIHEAP. They assist low income people and families with their heating and cooling bills. This program is therefore, a year long program that is available 12 months a year. To qualify for the LIHEAP assistance, you need to qualify. We provide the current Federal Poverty Rates nationwide below.

You are automatically qualified for LIHEAP assistance if you participate in the SNAP food stamps program, TANF Temporary Assistance for Needy Families, or the SSI program through Social Security.

Federal Poverty Guidelines for 2024

Persons In Family	Earnings (100% Fed Poverty Guideline)
1	$15,060
2	$20,440
3	$25,820
4	$31,200
5	$36,580
6	$41,960
7	$47,340
8	$52,720

*Alaska and Hawaii have different rates for HUD federal poverty guidelines.
These numbers above represent 100% of the Federal Poverty Rate. In order to get legal aid from some offices, they use a sliding fee scale. When they use a sliding fee scale, the 100% rate can be different than 100%. In those cases, using for example a 200% federal poverty level, you will only need double the 100% number listed above to 200%.

User questions & answers

Have you used the Sumter County SC Community Action Agency LIHEAP Utility Assistance service before? If so, please help our website users by answer these questions below.