LIHEAP is a federally funded block grant administered by the U. S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), Office of Community Services (OCS). The program’s intent is to assist low income households in meeting their immediate home energy needs.

Similar to other states this federal block grant provides funding for Washington State’s LIHEAP. The money is given to participating heating companies to help reduce a qualifying customer's heating bill. In extreme situations, money is given directly to an applicant to prevent the heat from being shut off by the utility company.

Washington State’s low-income residents can get help with winter heating bills or home weatherization through the federally funded Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program, or LIHEAP. Across the state, 104,374 households received assistance last year alone this was only 35 percent of the total applicants. If you need home heating or weatherization assistance through LIHEAP, apply as early as possible.

In Washington State, LIHEAP assists households whose incomes are at or below 125% of the federal poverty level (FPL). These households pay a much higher proportion of their income for their home heating needs. As a result, they are the most at risk of losing access to heat during the cold winter months. The program is designed to help these families keep their heat on, especially those households that are most vulnerable, such as the elderly, the disabled, and households with young children.

LIHEAP primarily assists households by applying an energy assistance grant directly to the energy provider on behalf of the eligible household. In some situations, Washington LIHEAP may also be able to help repair or replace an unsafe, dysfunctional, and/or inoperative heating system. Households who are eligible for Washington LIHEAP may also qualify to have their homes made more energy efficient through the Weatherization Program.

Eligibility Requirements

Eligibility for Washington's LIHEAP is based on income, family size, the type of home heating system, and the cost to heat the home during the winter. Preference is given to households with children, the elderly or people with disabilities. Applicants can be homeowners or renters. Households with the lowest income and the highest home heating costs receive the greatest assistance. The combined annual income of all family members cannot exceed 125 percent of the federal poverty level. Qualifying households in Washington State receive $25 to $1,000 in home heating assistance, depending on need. Each household receives a one-time award for the October through June heating season. See details on the table below:-

Household Size	Annual Income	Average Monthly Income	Average Monthly Income for Wage Earners
?1	?                       $13,963	?                  $1,164	?                            $1,454
?2	?$18,913	?                  $1,576	?$1,970
?3	?                       $23,863	?$1,989	?                            $2,486
?4	$?28,813	?                  $2,401	?$3,001
?5	?                       $33,763	?                  $2,814	?$3,517
?6	$?38,713	?$3,226	?$4,033
?7	?                       $43,663	?                  $3,639	?$4,548
?8	?                       $48,613	?              $4,051	?$5,064
?9	?                       $53,563	?$4,464	?$5,579
?10	?                       $58,513	?$4,876	?$6,095

More details on eligibility can be found here.

LIHEAP Application Instructions

Washington State residents seeking assistance must apply at one of the 27 LIHEAP member agencies across the state. A list of agencies by county is available on the LIHEAP Washington State website here. When applying for assistance, you must provide proof of income for each household member, each household member's Social Security card, your lease agreement or proof of home ownership, a government-issued identification and documents showing your home heating costs.

 LIHEAP is provided to the citizens of Washington through a network of community action agencies and local municipalities. They can be found at this link. These are the organizations that perform program eligibility determinations and award LIHEAP grants to eligible households. Each agency has their own procedures that will need to be followed in order to receive LIHEAP services.

In order to apply for LIHEAP, you must schedule an appointment with the organization that offers services in your area. You can either email them or call them using the following information:

Department of Commerce

[email protected]

(360) 725-2857

 Instructions for scheduling a LIHEAP appointment can also be found at this link.