Published: June 30, 2009 04:02 pm      

Summer energy assistance available

By KANDACE MCCOY

kandace.mccoy@register-news.com

MT. VERNON — Limited funding has been released for the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program in Jefferson, Franklin and Williamson counties for the Summer Energy Assistance Program.

SEAP will begin Monday, according to Amy Alexander of Crosswalk Community Action Agency of West Frankfort, and will be on a first-come, first-serve basis for at-risk, low income households until funds are depleted. Assistance will include utility payments for electric service only. No funding is available for disconnected households, she said.

“The funding is more that we received last year,” Alexander explained. “It’s always a quick program in the summer. Funding is very limited — we’re not able to help everyone who would be eligible.”

SEAP is funded by federal and state grant money, she said, with $164,401 federal funding received, which doubled from last year. State funding received is $206,628 for the program, which also increased from last year by about $70,000.

The funding will be allocated by county and will help 668 applicants in Jefferson County, 792 applicants in Franklin County and 1,014 applicants in Williamson County, Alexander noted. Those figures are also up from last year when the program assisted a total of 1,502 applicants.

“There has been definitely more people calling in for help with all the layoffs and businesses closing,” she said. “We are seeing a lot more new people.”

However, in order to ensure an application appointment, qualified individuals must make an appointment for SEAP at their local county outreach sites which are the Illinois Department of Employment Security, 333 Potomac Blvd., Suite E. Mt. Vernon; Crosswalk-East Entrance, 410 W. Main, West Frankfort; and Illinois Department of Employment Security, 8195 Express Drive, Marion. No phone calls for appointments will be accepted.

“Last year, we gave out all of the appointments within the first two days,” Alexander said. “So they go really quick and you have to come in person to make the appointment. If someone can’t come in, they could send someone for them to make the appointment. They’ll be told what they need to bring to do the applications. You don’t have to bring anything to make the appointment.”

In order to qualify, at-risk households must have income equal to or less than 150 percent of the poverty level. Household gross income, 30 days prior to the date of application, may not exceed $1,354 for one person; $1,821 for two people; $2,289 for three people; and $2,756 for four and are graduated higher for larger households, information states.

The LIHEAP Summer Energy Assistance Program is targeted to at-risk households, defined as households with at least one resident age 60 years or older, or at least one resident drawing disability income, or at least one resident 2 years of age of younger, or at least one resident with a current physician documented medical condition that can be improved by air conditioning, such as asthma, emphysema, coronary disease or immediate terminal illness.

For more information about the LIHEAP Summer Energy Assistance Program, call 937-3581.