What You Need To Know
A federally funded program that has been set up for the low-income households of America. Low-Income Homer Energy Assistant Program aims to help its members with their utility bills. These home energy bills as important to keep the residence a habitable place for the families. LIHEAP allows the house to be warm in winters and cool in summers. This safeguards the residents against any possible health and safety problems. Extreme weather can prove damaging for the health as well as bring along with its safety hazards. Therefore, by paying the bill of eligible families, LIHEAP keeps away the risk of illnesses, fires, or potential evictions.
The LIHEAP program in New Mexico is comprised of three kinds of assistance. These assistances are determined according to the applicants and their problems. They include:
- Bill payment assistance
- Energy crisis assistance
- Weatherization and energy-related home repairs
The New Mexico LIHEAPP has been administered by the Department of Community Services & Development. Its limited funds mean that it has to allocate the financial aid according to the neediest family. The benefit program also helps those families who require energy improvements in their homes. In case they are unable to afford it, the program helps them to acquire new insulation or heating system. This improves the lifestyle of these people. It also allows them to focus on other necessary costs, contributing their time to making their lives better. The worry of utility bills is eliminated.
Are You Eligible?
All benefit programs have certain requirements that need to be fulfilled. The LIHEAP program has an eligibility list that must be taken into account if you are interested in applying. Two main aspects of being eligible for this program to include that you must be:
- A resident of the state of New Mexico
- Require financial aid for your home energy expenses.
This program has been set up for those families who are unable to pay for themselves. Therefore, to make sure that the most deserving families receive this aid, their annual household income is considered. It is expected to be either less than or equal to the mentioned amounts. The table has been created keeping in mind both the household income and their respective maximum income level limitations.
| Size Of The Household | Maximum Annual Income Level ($) |
| 1 | 18,735 |
| 2 | 25,365 |
| 3 | 31,995 |
| 4 | 38,625 |
| 5 | 45,255 |
| 6 | 51,885 |
| 7 | 58,515 |
| 8 | 65,145 |
An additional $6,630 is added per person in those households that have more than eight residents. It is advised that any interested individual should approach their managing agency. This would help them to keep up-to-date with the most recent and accurate guidelines.
Automatic eligibility is granted to certain participants. These people are a part of other benefit programs either themselves or have family members in it. The benefit programs that result in automatic eligibility for New Mexico LIHEAP include:
- Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program – SNAP
- Supplement Security Income – SSI
- Temporary Assistance for Needy Families – TANF
- Certain Needs-tested Veterans benefits.
New Mexico LIHEAP program also allows those people to apply who have their energy costs included in rent. This allows them to help a greater amount of people.
How To Apply
Application for the New Mexico LIHEAP program can be found through online portals. Interested applicants can visit the YES New Mexico page. Additional information about the benefit program is also available through the Apply for Benefits page. This allows people to easily start their application process without any hurdles. They can simply log in from the comfort of their home and gain the information they require.
It is vital for the applicant to include their sources of income into the form. The documents required throughout the entire procedure include:
- Names and social security numbers of all people in the household
- Proof of the household income before any tax deductions.
- Proof of address such as a rent receipt, lease or bill
- Recent copies of your home energy costs
- The type of fuel required for heating the house.
The application process for this benefit program begins from August 1 to April 30. This means that families get a chance to apply for it every year.
For Further Information
For in-depth details, the LIHEAP page is available. In order to gain assistance concerning the application and process, kindly contact the following agencies:
- LIHEAP State or Territory agency
- LIHEAP Indian Tribe or Tribal Organization agency
A toll-free number has also been set up to cater to the queries of people. Any confusion can be clarified with the simple dialing of this number:
800-283-4465