Jonesboro, AR – (JonesboroRightNow.com) – Applications for the Crowley’s Ridge Development Council’s (CRDC) winter utility assistance program have opened for qualifying households.
The Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) has two application periods: one in the winter and one in the summer.
The winter application period opened Dec. 8 and continues through April 30. It provides eligible households with fixed amounts of money to assist with utility bills. Eligibility is determined by income and the number of people in the home.
Jacob Bright, chief operating officer for the CDRC, said the organization opened the program earlier in December with about $178,000 in funding to serve eligible households. Additional funding was received, he said, bringing total funding for this program to around $339,000. Those funds are expected to be depleted this month. Eligible households are listed below:
- Households with a resident 60 years or older
- Households with a disability
- Households with children in the home five years or younger
LIHEAP applications for the general public are expected to open in early January, which includes the organization’s regular and crisis assistance utility programs. Bright said about $1.6 million was expected for the regular assistance program, and about $1.179 million is expected for the crisis assistance program. He added the CDRC is waiting on those grants for the programs to be awarded.
“In January, we’re looking to launch the regular program that all eligible households can apply for,” Bright said. “This funding that we’re administering now, until we deplete it for December [is for] elderly households, disabled households, and families that have children under five.”
The CDRC serves eight counties in Northeast Arkansas, including Craighead. The nonprofit provides utility assistance, substance abuse treatment, and other assistance for moderate to low-income people and families.
Those in Craighead County interested in applying for LIHEAP assistance should go to the CDRC’s Jonesboro office, located at 2114 N. Church St., or call 870-802-7100. Application hours are Mondays from 8:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. and 1 to 3 p.m. Click here to download the LIHEAP application form.
Click here for a list of application times and locations of the CDRC’s other Northeast Arkansas offices.
Once applications for the general public open, Bright said, that information will be posted on the CDRC’s social media, website, and its community centers.
