Program offers home heating help
That’s why now is the time to prepare for staying warm this winter – both inside and out.
The Tennessee Department of Human Services has been awarded more than $1 million for the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program. The benefits will be made available this month.
“Staying warm during the cold winter months isn’t easy for a lot of Tennesseans,” said Human Services Commissioner Virginia T. Lodge. “Thousands simply can’t afford the high cost of heating their homes. This additional assistance will go a long way toward keeping some of the state’s most vulnerable individuals warm and safe this season.”
More than 12,000 low-income Tennessee households will benefit from the home energy assistance this year. Last year, Tennessee received $550,000 in emergency heating assistance, which aided just over 6,500 households.
The Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program is 100 percent federally funded through a grant from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The program is administered through a network of 19 non-profit and local government agencies and is available in all 95 counties.
Aid consists of a special summer cooling program ($350 maximum payment) and regular and emergency heating assistance ($350 maximum payment).
The assistance is made in the form of a payment to the utility company or home energy provider.
Warren County residents can apply for heating assistance through UCHRA, which is headquartered in Cookeville and serves the 14-county Upper Cumberland area. UCHRA can be reached by phone at (931) 528-1127 or by mail at 3111 Enterprise Drive, Cookeville, Tenn., 38506-4281.