As summer heats up, North Dakota Health and Human Services (HHS) reminds residents that cooling assistance is available to qualifying households to help with the cost of purchasing or repairing air conditioners and other cooling devices.
To participate, households must qualify financially for the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP), also known as heating assistance, which serves households with incomes up to 60% of the state median income.
Qualifying incomes vary by the number of people living in a household. A three-person household can currently earn up to $53,965 annually and qualify. Qualifying income levels are online at hhs.nd.gov/applyforhelp/liheap.
HHS operates the program together with the North Dakota Department of Commerce and the Community Action Partnership of North Dakota. Community Action staff assess cooling needs and work with qualifying households to meet their needs.
How to Apply
Households that participated in the LIHEAP heating assistance program this past heating season can contact their local Community Action office directly for help with a cooling device. Households will need to provide a copy of their LIHEAP approval letter.
Households that didn’t participate in the LIHEAP heating assistance program this past year need to complete a LIHEAP application to determine income eligibility before a referral can be sent to Community Action.
For program details and to apply for LIHEAP, visit hhs.nd.gov/applyforhelp/liheap, or contact the Customer Support Center at (866) 614-6005, 711 (TTY). For help applying, visit a local human service zone office.
During the 2023 heating season, which ran from Oct. 1, 2022, through May 31, 2023, the heating assistance program served about 14,000 households statewide. The cooling assistance program helped 352 qualifying North Dakota households in 2022 and 426 households in 2021.