Philadelphians have until Friday to apply for a benefit to help pay off heating bills, which soared this winter due to prolonged periods of freezing temperatures.<\/p>\n
The Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program<\/a>, or LIHEAP, provides grants of between $200 and $1,000 to homeowners and renters. The money does not need to be repaid and is sent directly to a utility provider to be credited to the participant\u2019s account.<\/p>\n LIHEAP crisis grants, of up to $1,000, are also available to those without natural gas service or who have received a 10-day shut-off notice, according to Philadelphia Gas Works<\/a>. People can apply for both benefits at the same time.<\/p>\n Households earning up to 150% of the federal poverty line, or $23,940 a year for an individual and $49,500 for a family of four, are eligible<\/a> for LIHEAP.<\/p>\n PGW says more than 29,000 households have successfully applied for the benefit this season, receiving nearly $8 million.<\/p>\n Gov. Josh Shapiro\u2019s administration extended the deadline from April 10 to May 8 because funding was still available. LIHEAP usually opens in November but began a month later due to the federal government shutdown.<\/p>\n Residents can submit an application by going to pgworks.com\/liheap<\/a> or compass.dhs.pa.gov<\/a>; texting \u201cWARM\u201d to 77037; or visiting one of the city\u2019s 16 energy centers.<\/a><\/p>\n