ALLENTOWN, Pa. — Pennsylvania began taking applications Monday for the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program, the federally funded grants that help pay winter heating bills, and the window stays open through Friday, April 23, 2027.
The program reached 278,910 Pennsylvania households with a cash grant last season, according to the state Department of Human Services. In Northampton County, seniors who use up that aid or are denied it can also turn to a county fuel fund that opened the same day.
This season’s one-time cash grant runs from $200 to $1,000, depending on household size, income and fuel type. The money goes straight to the utility or fuel company and does not have to be paid back.
Households qualify at or below 150% of the federal poverty level: a yearly gross income of $23,940 for one person, $32,460 for two and $49,500 for a family of four. Renters and homeowners can both apply, and a household does not need to be behind on its bill, according to the state’s application page. People turned down before can apply again, since eligibility is decided each season.
Apply online at dhs.pa.gov/COMPASS, at a county assistance office, or call the LIHEAP hotline at 1-866-857-7095 for a paper form. Both county offices are open 7:30 a.m. to 5 p.m., except Thursdays, when they open at 1 p.m. for staff training, according to the state’s office directory:
- Lehigh County Assistance Office, 555 Union Blvd., Suite 3, Allentown; 610-821-6509.
- Northampton County Assistance Office, 201 Larry Holmes Drive, Easton; 610-250-1700, or 610-250-1785 and 610-250-1786 for LIHEAP.
Northampton County’s fund, the Emergency Fuel Assistance Program run by its Area Agency on Aging, is for residents 60 and older. Call Northampton County Information & Referral Emergency Services at 610-559-3270 or 610-829-4800.
Crisis grants
A separate crisis grant of $25 to $1,000 covers emergencies: a shutoff notice, service already cut, broken heating equipment, or less than about two weeks of oil, propane, coal or wood. A household can get more than one in a season, up to $1,000 in all, and eligible applicants get help within 10 business days, the state says.
Last season’s cash grants averaged $289, and roughly 121,000 households received crisis help averaging $566, according to the department.
Shutoff protection
The state’s winter shutoff moratorium runs Tuesday, Dec. 1, through March 31. It bars regulated electric and gas utilities from cutting service to households at or below 250% of the federal poverty level, but unpaid bills remain, the department said.
Northampton County seniors
The county program, paid for with a federal Housing and Urban Development grant, gives up to $800 per household for the season: $780 toward fuel and $20 to Project of Easton for administration, according to a county release issued Thursday.
Applicants must meet HUD income limits and show proof of income and residency. Those seeking fuel need a tank a quarter full or less; those with other heat need a shutoff notice. Agency staff schedule a home visit to check eligibility.
Residents of the city of Bethlehem are not eligible because the city gets its own HUD allocation, the county said.
“No older adult in Northampton County should have to worry about whether they can afford to heat their home during the winter months,” County Executive Tara Zrinski said in the release.
