CHARLOTTE, N.C. — As colder weather sets in, help is on the way for families that need assistance paying rising utility bills.

North Carolina’s Department of Health and Human Services will start taking applications on Dec. 1 for the Low Income Energy Assistance Program (LIEAP).

What You Need To Know

  • Low Income Energy Assistance Program (LIEAP) applications open Dec. 1 for adults age 60 and older and those with disabilities getting services from the Division of Aging and Adult Services 
  • All other households making 130% or less of the federal poverty limit can apply starting Jan. 2
  • The one-time energy assistance helped more than 143,000 households at a cost of about $63 million last winter 

The one-time payment paid directly to energy providers assisted more than 143,000 households costing approximately $63 million last winter, according to NCDHHS. 

The first round of applications will be open only for adults age 60 and older and those with disabilities getting services from the DHHS Division of Aging and Adult Services.

Starting Jan. 2 to March 31, 2024, all other households making 130% or less of the federal poverty limit can apply. 

Crisis Assistance Ministry in Charlotte also offers emergency utility assistance for community members in need. The director of community engagement, Bonnie Tiernan, says this time of year families are reaching out to turn their gas services back on after cutting the service to save money in the summer months. 

“The problem we are dealing with -- poverty and people with limited financial resources -- it’s not an individual problem. It affects individuals and families, but it’s a bigger problem. It’s a structural problem,” Tiernan said. 

Tiernan has been with the Crisis Assistance Ministry for nearly 20 years, trying to find solutions to this problem. 

“What we see are hard-working families struggling to meet their basic needs,” Tiernan said. “Heating bills are through the roof. Food prices are through the roof, and wages aren’t keeping up, so people are turning to us for financial assistance with the very basic - heat.”