The Orange County Department of Social Services is currently taking applications for seasonal energy programs. County residents may be eligible for assistance with heating bills through the Low Income Energy Assistance Program (LIEAP) and the Crisis Intervention Program (CIP).
The LIEAP program provides a payment directly to the heating vendor that will be credited to the resident’s bill and will help offset the costs of heating the resident’s home. The bill does not need to be past-due or in potential cut-off status.
The CIP program is for families experiencing crisis. For this program, a household is in a crisis if it is currently experiencing or is in danger of experiencing a life-threatening or health-related emergency and sufficient, timely, and appropriate assistance is not available from any other source. Life-threatening is defined as a household which has no heating or cooling source or has a disconnect notice for their primary heating or cooling service and the health or well-being of a household member would be in danger if the heating or cooling crisis was not alleviated.
Eligibility for both programs is also based on income and other household characteristics such as family size and age of applicants.
To apply, residents should bring the following information:
- Verification of all income received during the month prior to application (earned and unearned)
- Bill for the primary heating source in the home
The heating bill must be in the name of a household member. Eligibility and the amount of assistance will be determined by a caseworker. Applications are being taken at the following Department of Social Services locations:
Southern Human Services Center
2501 Homestead Road
Chapel Hill, NC
Hillsborough Commons
113 Mayo Street
Hillsborough, NC
For questions about the program, please contact the agency at (919) 245-2800. Applications for all Social Services programs are available at both Orange County Department of Social Services locations.