Community Connection

Low Income Energy Assistance

Low Income Energy Assistance (LIEAP) is an annual Federal program that is handed down to the states in block grants. The state then divides the money (based on population) and makes it available to the counties. Community Connection is pleased to administer this program for Union, Baker, Wallowa and Grant counties of Eastern, Oregon.

LIEAP can cover electricity, natural gas, wood, propane or heating oil. It also features the most generous financial eligibility matrix of any program we offer. Check out your household composition against the chart below to see if you qualify.

The priorities for Low Income Energy Assistance are...

1. Seniors and persons with disabilities
   1. Seniors are defined as anyone age 60 or over on the day of intake
   2. An applicant may generally be said to have a disability if
      1. He or she is an SSI / SSD recipient
      2. He or she is receiving a workman's compensation claim
      3. He or she can present a letter signed by a doctor confirmation of the disability claimed.
2. Families with Children Age 5 or under
3. General Public (not fitting into the categories above)

Seniors and persons with disabilities who received LIEAP last year and have not had a change in their household composition or address are processed through the mail at the beginning of each cycle. These families DO NOT need to come into the office for an intake appointment. They simply fill out the form we send and return it (with appropriate attachments) to receive consideration for funding.

If you believe that you are eligible based on the information on this page, call us today to get on the waiting list. A friendly representative is waiting to answer your questions at one of our County Offices

Baker County (541) 523-6591 - Ask for Laurie McClurg

Grant County(541) 963-3186 - Ask for Linda Roberts

Union County (541) 963-7532 - Ask for Carmen Gentry

Wallowa County (541) 426-3840 - Ask for Lorri Howerton

On the day that your LIEAP appointment is scheduled, there are a few things we will need you to bring in order to process your application. They are...

• Proof of income for everyone in your household for the last 30 days
• Social Security numbers for everyone in your household
• Most recent energy bills (if available)

LIEAP is not intended to be an emergency assistance program. While some vendors may accept a copy of your LIEAP application to prevent disconnect or fuel shortages, others (specifically, Oregon Trail Electric Cooperative) will not.

Your application will not be approved the day we do intake. It will be forwarded to a Program Director to be reviewed, filed with the state and approved. Once approved, we have 45 days to get the check to the vendor. SO... 60 days could easily elapse between the day of your appointment and the day the vendor gets paid. For this reason, you should do your best to keep your energy bills current while you are waiting for your LIEAP payment to arrive.