MORE WEST VIRGINIANS NEED HELP WITH HEATING BILLS

(01/14/2010)

West Virginia officials say more West Virginia families need help paying their heating bills following the winter blast, according to Dan Hartwell, manager for the state Department of Health and Human Resources' Low Income Energy Assistance Program. "There is definitely going to be an increase because of the economy and the weather we're having," Hartwell said. West Virginians receiving assistance increased 11 percent from 2008 to 2009. Eight million US households received government help to heat their homes in fiscal year 2009, up 33 percent from the prior year. The mortgage crisis has forced some owners of foreclosed homes to ignore their utility bills, and the recession is leaving more people jobless. Worse yet, utility bills have been increasing. West Virginia's Low Income Energy Assistance Program, or LIEAP, is helping. LIEAP provides assistance to low-income households for home heating. The federal government has allocated $45 million to West Virginia for the heating assistance program in 2010. The DHHR will begin accepting applications for emergency heating assistance this week at all its county offices. Households must meet a number of guidelines and there must be an emergency causing disruption of the home's primary heating source. Customers whose primary source of heat is natural gas or electricity must bring cut-off notices with them when applying for help.

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