Tennessee Receives $80 Million to Help Citizens Pay Utility Bills

Friday, October 17, 2008 | 11:20am

NASHVILLE – Amid the current dismal economic news, there finally was some good news for citizens who are struggling to pay their utility bills. The Tennessee Department of Human Services was granted more than $80 million to provide heating and cooling assistance to low income families. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) late Thursday released $5.1 billion for the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP).   Tennessee’s share is $80.5 million, which is $50 million more than last year’s allocation.

 
"LIHEAP is a critical program for thousands of Tennesseans in need,” said Human Services Commissioner Virginia T. Lodge. "We have never been able to serve all of the eligible families who apply for LIHEAP assistance. This funding boost will give our community partners the opportunity to take thousands of people off their waiting lists and give them help in the upcoming cold weather months.”
 
Nineteen community agencies administer the program across all 95 counties in Tennessee. LIHEAP is 100% federally funded through a grant from HHS. Eligibility for LIHEAP benefits is based on established federal poverty guidelines, and documentation of household income is required. Tennesseans whose household income does not exceed 125 percent of federal poverty guidelines (that’s $26,500/year for a family of four) are potentially eligible for the program.  Priority is given to elderly and/or disabled citizens.
 
The assistance does not go directly to the client. Instead, it is made in the form of a payment to the utility company or home energy provider.  More than 80,000 Tennessee families are assisted each year through the LIHEAP program, and even with rising energy costs, DHS and its community partners should double the number of families the program serves.
 
For more information about the Department of Human Services and its programs, please click on the following link: http://www.state.tn.us/humanserv
 
For a listing of LIHEAP agencies and contact numbers across the state, see below
 
 
 
Community Service Agency Name                                                                 
 
Blount County Community Action Agency                                                                       
865-983-8411
 
Bradley-Cleveland Community Services Agency                                                               
423-479-4111
 
Chattanooga Human Services Dept.                                                                                
423-757-5551
 
Clarksville-Montgomery County Community Action Agency                                               
931-648-5774
 
Delta Human Resource Agency                                                                                     
901-476-5226
(serving Fayette, Tipton & Lauderdale Counties)
 
Douglas-Cherokee Economic Authority, Inc.                                                                    
423-587-4500
(serving Cocke, Grainger, Hamblen, Jefferson, Monroe & Sevier Counties)
 
East Tennessee Human Resources Agency                                                                    
865-691-2551
(serving Anderson, Claiborne, Morgan, Campbell, Scott & Union Counties)
 
Highland Rim Economic Corporation                                                                               
931-289-4101
(serving Dickson, Stewart, Houston & Humphreys Counties)
 
Knoxville-Knox County Community Action Committee                                                      
865-546-3500
 
Metropolitan Action Commission (Davidson County)                                                         
615-862-8860
 
Mid-Cumberland Community Action Agency                                                                    
615-742-1113 or 615-453-2243
(serving Cheatham, Sumner, Trousdale, Rutherford, Robertson, Wilson                              
& Williamson Counties)
 
Mid-East Community Action Agency                                                                              
865-354-0450
(serving Loudon & Roane Counties)
 
Northwest Tennessee Economic Development Council                                                     
731-364-3228
(serving Benton, Carroll, Crockett, Dyer, Henry, Lake, Gibson & Obion Counties)
 
Shelby County Community Services Agency                                                                   
901-545-4630
 
South Central Human Resource Agency                                                                         
931-433-7182
(serving Bedford, Coffee, Giles, Lewis, Lincoln, Wayne, Franklin, Maury, Perry,
Lawrence, Marshall, Hickman & Moore Counties)
 
Southeast Tennessee Human Resource Agency                                                              
423-949-2191
(serving Bledsoe, Grundy, Marion, McMinn, Meigs, Polk, Rhea & Sequatchie Counties)
 
Southwest Human Resource Agency                                                                              
731-989-5111
(serving Chester, Decatur, Hardin, Hardeman, Haywood, Henderson, Madison &
McNairy Counties)
 
Upper Cumberland Human Resource Agency                                                                 
931-528-1127
(serving Cannon, Cumberland, Dekalb, Fentress, Overton, Pickett, Putnam, Warren,
White, Van Buren, Clay, Jackson, Macon & Smith Counties)
 
Upper East Tennessee Human Development Agency                                                       
423-246-6180
(serving Carter, Greene, Hancock, Hawkins, Johnson Unicoi, Sullivan & Washington Counties)
 
 
For more information, contact Michelle Mowery Johnson, DHS Communications Director 615-313-4707.
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