Top 5 Things to know aboutLIHEAP

Low Income Home EnergyAssistance Program

More than 300,000 vulnerable Illinois households use LIHEAP

to assist with energy costs.

This includes seniors, disabled persons and low-income

families.

Governor Bruce Rauner is proposing to eliminate the program July 1.

Without that help, the state’s most

vulnerable risk health and safety problems like heat stroke and hypothermia.

How does the State of Illinois benefit from funding this program?

LIHEAP is a federally funded program to help the most

vulnerable Americans by assisting with energy costs.

Every Illinoisan who pays utilities pays into the state’s supplemental

program. This ensures more families can be served.

An average American family spends about 6% to 7% of its total income on household

energy.

LIHEAP recipients spend 20 percent of every dollar

on energy.

In Illinois, more than 400,000 households received LIHEAP assistance in 2010 and 2012; more than 300,000 families

used the program in the following three years.

Of 1,800 households surveyed: • 40% have someone age 60 or older• 72% have a family member with a

serious medical condition• 85% of those with medical

conditions are seniors and • 26% use medical equipment

requiring electricity.

Gov. Rauner plans to eliminate the program July 1.

But he has yet to explain if taxpayers will still pay utility

surcharges.

“LIHEAP actually allows me to make it through

each month.”

- Larry Newland, Winnebago County LIHEAP recipient

IllinoisSenateDemocrats.com© Illinois Senate Democratic Caucus 2015

Learn more:LIHEAP - U.S. Health & Human Services

Illinois LIHEAP - DCFS