Energy Assistance Program
Income Guidelines | Energy Saving Tips | Energy Assistance Offices
Program Starts October 6th for those with disconnect notices.
The REAL Services’ Energy Assistance Program is a State funded program that assists low-income households with electric and heating expenses during the winter months. Households must be within 150% of the Federal Poverty Guidelines to qualify.
Persons applying for this program are interviewed to determine their eligibility. Benefits depend on household-size, income, and utility cost and fuel type. Persons interested in receiving help through Energy Assistance have to call their county office to set up an appointment for an interview.
Please do not come to any of the county offices without an appointment!
The following information is needed for ALL household members at the time of the interview. WRITTEN DOCUMENTATION IS REQUIRED FOR THESE:
1. Social Security Numbers and dates of birth for ALL household members.
2. Proof of income for ALL household members 18 years or older for the past 12 months. This includes all of the following types of income: wages, odd jobs, Social Security (including Soc Sec received for children in the household), SSI (including SSI received for children in the household), SSI, workman’s compensation, TANF (AFDC), Alimony & Child support, Unemployment Compensation, strike benefits, severance pay, capital gains income, VA & any other type of pension, training stipends, dividends & interest on savings and Certificates of Deposit, self -employment, income including rents and royalties, income from estates and trust funds, insurance benefits, annuities of other income, winnings of over $400 from the Lottery, Powerball or Bingo.
3. Utility bills for electric and heating do not have to be in the applicants name however an explanation has to be provided if the name is different from the applicant’s name. Tenants whose bills are in the landlord’s name must bring a copy of their lease to show that they pay utilities with their rent. If no lease is available, the Energy Assistance Office will make a form available that must be completed by the landlord before the application can be initiated.
When the application is approved the utility companies will be notified and a credit is given to that account or fuel will be delivered.
THIS IS A ONE TIME CREDIT, NOT A MONTHLY PAYMENT.
Energy Assistance cannot be used for deposit, reconnect or old bills.
REAL Services, Inc. administers the Energy Assistance Program in 5 counties, Elkhart, Fulton, Kosciusko, Marshall and St. Joseph. The offices are open 5 days a week.
In order to serve those better that are 60 and over or have a disability mail-in applications are available. To receive a mail-in application call our main office at 574-232-6501, or 1-800-225-3367 (for all counties). Home-visits can be arranged for blind applicants, or a representative for that applicant can make an appointment and come into any of our offices to fill out an application. This representative has to bring all required documentation as shown above.
The Energy Assistance Program reserves the right to request additional information as necessary!