Gateway accepting HEA applications

Gateway Community Action Partnership’s Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) or (HEA) is designed to help low-income families and individuals meet home heating and medically necessary cooling costs. Applications are accepted from October 1, 2013 through April 30, 2014. The first LIHEAP/HEA checks will not be distributed until mid-December 2013. LIHEAP is administered by the New Jersey Department of Community Affairs.

  To be eligible for LIHEAP benefits, the applicant household must be responsible for home heating or cooling costs, either directly or included in their rent and have a gross income at or below 200% of the federal poverty level. Public housing residents and/or those who receive rental assistance are not eligible unless they pay for their own heating/cooling costs directly to the fuel supplier. The amount of the LIHEAP heating benefit is determined by income, household size, fuel type and heating region. This year the medically necessary cooling assistance benefit is set at $200.

  An eligible household that heats with natural gas or electricity may have its benefits directly forwarded to its utility company. In most cases, households directly responsible to a fuel supplier for payment of home heating costs receive a two-party check in the name of the applicant and the fuel supplier. Households whose heating costs are included in their rent receive a single party check made out to the eligible applicant. A household receiving medically necessary cooling benefits also receives a single party check.

Please note the 2014 LIHEAP application is also an application for the Universal Service Fund (USF}. You can apply for two benefits at the same time. USF is a program created by the State of NJ to help make natural gas and electric bills more affordable for low-income households. To qualify for USF, a household’s gross income must be at or below 175% of the Federal Poverty Level and pay more than 3% of its annual income for electric, or more than 3% for natural gas. If a household has electric heat, it must spend more than 6% of its annual income on electricity to be eligible.

Please also be advised that no HEA benefits will be issued until the week ending December 21.

To apply for LIHEAP, USF, cooling assistance or Weatherization, please contact your local Gateway CAP office. Office hours are as follows for walk-in applicants: Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

Cumberland County: 110 Cohansey St., Bridgeton, NJ 08302; 856-451-6330

Gloucester County: 901 N. Delaware St., Paulsboro, NJ 08066; 856-423-0040

Salem County: 14 New Market St., Salem, NJ 08079; 856-935-0944

Website: gatewaycap.org

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LOW INCOME HOME ENERGEY ASSISTANCE PROGRAM (LIHEAP)

MAXIMUM MONTHLY GROSS INCOME ELIGIBILITY LEVELS - FFY 2014

Household Size/Monthly Gross Income: 1/$1,915, 2/$2,585, 3/$3,255, 4/$3,925, 5/$4,595, 6/$5,265, 7/$5,935, 8/$6,605, 9/$7,275, 10/$7,478, 11/$7,634, 12/$7,789. Note:  To determine eligibility for household sizes greater than 12, add $156 for each additional member.

UNIVERSAL SERVICE FUND (USF)

MAXIMUM MONTHLY GROSS INCOME ELIGIBILITY LEVELS - FFY 2013

                Household Size//Monthly Gross Income: 1/$1,676, 2/$2,262, 3/ $2,849, 4/$3,435, 5/$4,021, 6/$4,607, 7/$5,194, 8/$5,780, 9/$6,366, 10/$6,952, 11/$7,539, 12/$8,125. Note: to determine eligibility for household sizes greater than 12, add $586 for each additional member.