Don't Choose Between Heating and Eating

As temperatures begin to plummet, it's time to turn up the thermostat. Whether you use natural gas, electricity or oil to heat your home, that's a costly proposition. For some, it's just too much.

For those families struggling to pay their bills, the cost of energy in winter is daunting. The Low Income Heating Assistance Program is available for those forced to choose between heating their homes and feeding their families.

Rhode Island will get more than $20 million in federal funding to help low-income households pay their energy bills this winter, Sen Jack Reed announced this week. The funds are part of $2.9 billion the Obama administration has released into the program, helping about 34,000 Rhode Islanders pay their heating bills.

"LIHEAP helps families in need deal with heating and financial challenges during the cold winter months," Reed said in a release. "With winter approaching, it is critical to speed this assistance to seniors and low-income families in time to help with their heating bills."

Rhode Islanders wishing to apply for the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program can go to the Rhode Island Office of Energy Resources website to get more information and links to an online application. They may contact their local Community Action Program (CAP) Agency.

Eligibility guidelines for the 2013-14 LIHEAP season are the same as last year and are set at 60 percent of the Rhode Island median income.