posted 01/20/12 05:52 PM | updated 01/23/12 09:51 PM
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MERIDIAN -- Many Idahoans are struggling to pay utility bills, but there is a government program that can help.

"Our members are telling us that their utility bills just keep going up, and up, and up. And their ability to afford to pay them, is going down, and down, and down," said Jim Wordelman, state director of the AARP.

Wordelman says energy rate hikes have put Idaho's elderly, most of which are on a fixed income, in a tough spot.

"Sometimes they have to decide whether they want to fill a prescription, or whether they want to turn the heat up," said Wordelman.

In a recent survey, 40 percent of Idaho's elderly say they're having a difficult time paying their utility bills. But there's help, and it's help that Wordelman says few people know about, "This has the potential of helping a lot more people."

The Low Income Energy Assistance Program (LIEAP) is a federal program, locally administered to help any person, not just the elderly, pay their utility bills. That program in Idaho just received an extra $5 million, totaling more than $20 million, that is ready to be claimed.

"People need to be very active, and apply for that money," said Wordelman.

There is a deadline to apply - March 31st. Also, the program won't pay all of someone's bills. But Wordelman says every bit helps those Idahoans that need it most, "Many people look at $10, $15, $20 a month as not much money. But, when you're thinking about overall income of $1,000 or less a month, it's a significant amount of money."

If you want to apply, you will need to have an income at or below 60 percent of the state's median.

For one person, that would be around $1,600 a month. That increases for every person in the household, so there's a lot of people that qualify for this.

Click here for more information on the different organizations around Idaho that you can go through to apply.

The LIEAP helped out an estimated 52,000 Idaho households last year. Any money that goes unclaimed, Wordelman says, goes back to the federal government.

 

 

 

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