MCKENZIE BRIDGE, Oregon (STPNS) -- EUGENE: Lane County Human Services Commission has received federal Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) funding to help income-qualified households with their home energy bills this winter.

“Last year was a record year for Lane County,” said Mary Ellen Bennett, LIHEAP coordinator. “We received nearly $3.4 million and helped over 12,000 households county-wide. So far this year we have $2.2 million, but we have at least one more allocation coming.”

The LIHEAP program (formerly known as LIEAP) is a wintertime program that provides qualifying households with a one-time payment towards their energy bill. It can be applied to electricity, natural gas, home heating oil, propane, wood pellets and wood.



Interested people can place themselves on a waiting list by calling one of the agencies that operate the program.

To qualify, a household’s current gross monthly income must be at or below 60 percent of Oregon’s median income level. The program does not count savings or assets. Many applicants are recently unemployed or seniors who have assets but are on a fixed income. A household of one person can have a gross monthly income as high as $1,757 and qualify. A household of four people can have a total gross monthly income of $3,380 and qualify.

The amount of assistance a household receives depends on a number of factors. Bennett said the program pays the assistance directly into a household’s utility account as a one-time payment that can range from $200-520. Interested households can call one of the agencies listed below to be placed on a waiting list.

Senior citizens, ages 60 and older, should contact the Willamalane Adult Activity Center in Springfield at 736-4406.

Non-senior households, includ-ing households with a disabled person, can contact one of the following agencies: St Vincent de Paul in Eugene at 461-8794 or Catholic Community Services in Springfield at 747-8349.

For additional information about LIHEAP, households can call 682-FUEL or 682-3835. This number is a recorded message in English and Spanish.