Community Action Partnership now accepting winter LIHEAP applications

ST. JOSEPH, Mo. (News-Press NOW) --  The Community Action Partnership of Greater St. Joseph is now accepting applications for its Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP).

The LIHEAP is a one-time credit that comes from the state to apply as payment for a primary heating source.

After the one-time payment, if the household is disconnected or in threat of disconnection, they can bring a disconnection notice in over the winter and CAPSJOE can help with up to $800 in additional crisis packages.

The program is a crisis fund that requires a termination or disconnection notice in order to apply for those funds. 

Last winter, CAPSJOE helped 2,047 households with preventing disconnection or restoring terminated services.

CAPSJOE will be accepting winter LIHEAP applications on two different dates.

On Oct. 1, the organization will only accept applications for any member of the household over the age of 60 or any member of the household who has a disability.

On Nov. 1, the organization will accept applications from all other households.

CAPSTJOE Community Relations Director, Kayla Marmaud, said participants must bring the required documents with their application.

"So we require a Social Security card for our household members. The previous months' income copies of gas and electric bills and then if they have all that with us, that helps speed up the process, the application process," she said.

Applications can take about 30 days to process. October applicants won't see credit until after November, and November applicants won't see credit until December.

Marmaud said this program is important for low-income families in St. Joseph because the winter months have been known to cause financial hardships.

"Heating and cooling bills kind of go up, and it's just helping them to kind of take the stress off of them to be able to pay those bills and make sure that they stay warm in the winter," she said.

The LIHEAP winter program runs until the end of May. Applications are available in person and online.