Assistance is available for paying certain utility bills through the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program Recovery Crisis program ahead of the program’s end on Aug. 31.

LIHEAP helps with home energy bills, ensuring continuity of utility and other energy services for low-income Pennsylvanians. LIHEAP normally runs from November through April, but the Recovery Crisis program, running through August, can help with Pennsylvanians’ home energy bills, ensuring continuity of utility and other energy services for low-income Pennsylvanians. Assistance is available for both renters and homeowners.

The LIHEAP Recovery Crisis Program will offer a crisis benefit made directly to utility companies or fuel providers to help offset costs for home utilities.

LIHEAP Recovery Crisis benefits may be available if a household:

• Has their main or secondary energy source completely shut off;

• Is notified that their utility service will be shut off in the next 60 days;

• Has broken energy equipment or leaking lines that must be fixed or replaced;

• Is in danger of being without fuel in 15 days or less; or,

• Owes funds to a utility provider that would constitute a service termination if not for the Public Utility Commission’s moratorium on terminations.

• LIHEAP Recovery Crisis program will run through Aug. 31.

Applications for LIHEAP Recovery Crisis are available at www.compass.state.pa.us. Those who prefer to submit paper applications can print from the website or request an application by phone at 800-692-7462 and mail it to their local County Assistance Office or place it in a CAO’s secure drop box, if available.

Dropping applications off at a CAO using the drop box can help avoid an application delay due to ongoing postal service delays. Pennsylvanians do not need to know their own eligibility in order to apply for these programs. While CAOs remain closed, work processing applications, determining eligibility and issuing benefits continues. If you applied and were denied previously and your financial circumstances have changed, you can reapply.