NECAC Utility Assistance Deadline is Sept. 30

The application deadline for summer utility assistance through the not-for-profit North East Community Action Corporation (NECAC) is Sept. 30.

The agency has more than $1.5 million available. The amount of assistance to qualifying applicants has doubled. The Missouri Department of Social Services recently announced additional funding for the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP). The funding doubles the maximum benefit to $600 per qualifying household.

Applicants must have a household income of 135 percent or less of the federal poverty level – a monthly income of $2,400 for a family of three or $2,897 for a family of four – and have less than $3,000 in a bank account.

“We urge people to sign up as soon as they can,” said NECAC LIHEAP Supervisor Angela Kattenbraker. “The additional dollars will help a lot more families.”

NECAC also continues to take applications for the summer portion of the Energy Crisis Intervention Program (ECIP). It pays overdue up to $600 for income-qualifying households that have received an electricity shut-off notice.

Applications and more information for all of the energy assistance programs is available at NECAC County Service Centers or by logging on to www.necac.org. For more information, call the NECAC Monroe County Service Center at 660-327-4110 in Paris or the NECAC Ralls County Service Center in New London at 573-985-2411.