The Indiana Housing and Community Development Authority (IHCDA) has released plans for the 2014 summer cooling program through the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP), which begins on June 16th and concludes on August 30th.
IHCDA and its administrative partners provided over 130,000 households with $47.8M in benefit assistance during the 2013-2014 LIHEAP winter heating season. Because most of the program funds were expended during the winter months, Indiana will not run a summer cooling assistance program this year.
The summer cooling program has traditionally provided a $50 benefit directly to utility companies for households who qualified for and participated in the recent winter heating assistance program. Due to funding constraints related to program expenditures during the unusually harsh winter, households will not be receiving the $50 benefit this summer.
IHCDA recognizes that crisis situations still may occur through Indiana; therefore administrating agencies with any remaining funds may provide crisis assistance in the amount of $200 or less to eligible households who received disconnection notices through August 2014.
Additionally, summer cooling program participants may be eligible to receive:
- Air conditioners (after submission of required medical affidavits)
o Existing clients who received air conditioners before May 30, 2009 or prior years may be eligible for new units.
o Households who received units between June 1, 2009 and August 30, 2013 are ineligible at this time.
o Households with central air conditioning are ineligible for this assistance.
- Hoosiers who heat their homes through deliverable fuels, like propane, wood or oil, may apply for the summer fill program.
o Clients wishing to participate must provide documentation as required during the winter heating season.
o Eligible clients can receive up to an additional $400 in crisis assistance.
The Summer Cooling Program is administered by Indiana’s network of Community Action Agencies (CAA). Please consult the Indiana Community Action Association’s CAA map to locate the agency which serves your county: http://www.incap.org/energyinfo.html
For further information on LIHEAP programs please contact Lynell Westbrook, IHCDA Community Programs Manager atlwestbrook@ihcda.in.gov.
