A program that assists low-income Coloradans with their winter heating costs is accepting applications.
Last year, the Colorado Low-Income Energy Program, or LEAP, helped 81,000 households with their heating bills.
Aggie Berens oversees LEAP for the Colorado Department of Human Services. She says the program figures out how much it costs to heat a home for the winter and issues a one-time bill credit for the season to help with that expense.
"This year will offer a minimum benefit of $200 and a maximum of $700," she says. "So we expect the average benefit to be about $350."
Berens says to qualify a family’s income can’t exceed 165 percent of the federal poverty level.
"For a household of one it will be a monthly gross income of $ 1,618 [and] for a household of four, a monthly gross income $ 3,334," she says.
People can apply for LEAP by downloading an application from the Colorado Department of Human Services and mailing it. Berens says residents can also visit their local county department of human services for information.
"The third option is to call our statewide number at 1-866-432-8435 and request an application be mailed," she says.
