LIHEAP Program Provides Residents with Energy Bill Payment Assistance

Through the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP), a federally-funded program, residents can receive financial assistance to help pay for home energy bills.

In an effort to ensure residents remain stable in their housing, the Columbia Residential Resident Services team regularly looks for ways to alleviate financial challenges that can jeopardize that stability. One of the most common financial challenges residents face is paying for heating and cooling costs for their homes, particularly when the utility bill costs exceed their household income.

Over the past year, the Columbia Residential Resident Services team has partnered with community action agencies to identify ways to help residents apply for the financial assistance they need. One such partnership with the Fulton Atlanta Community Action Authority (FACAA) is making it easier for low-income families and seniors residing in Columbia Residential communities to apply for financial assistance toward energy bill payments.

Through the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP), a federally-funded program, residents can receive financial assistance to help pay for home energy bills. However, the process of applying for assistance can be a daunting task. For some residents who attended offsite application assistance events and were turned away because of limited capacity, it has proven to be stressful. As a result, many residents who need assistance have not pursued it.

Recognizing this, the Resident Services team has made it easier for residents who meet eligibility requirements to apply for assistance by completing the applications in the communities where they live.

“In an effort to increase the number of low-income households receiving assistance, the Resident Services team has partnered with the FACAA for training on how to assist residents in gathering the necessary documentation and completing applications,” Jennifer Owens, VP of Resident Services explained. “Resident Services team members also help expedite the process by transporting the applications back to the organizations for processing.”

“This year, FACAA had the pleasure of training Columbia Residential service coordinators to accept LIHEAP applications for its residents,” said Dr. Howard W. Grant, President & CEO. This was the first time that FACAA had such a partnership. Typically, residents would need to come to our office for assistance or attend one of our outreach events.”

As a result of the partnership, Columbia Residential was able to facilitate the LIHEAP application process for 364 of its residents. Residents said that they appreciated the convenience of being able to complete the applications with the assistance of the Resident Services team. And, as a result of these efforts, residents have been able to receive the assistance they need to pay their bills and remain in their homes.

“Our goal is to increase the number of residents we can assist in applying for assistance year over year,” said Owens. “We are proud to report that, overall, we processed 560 applications totaling $237,000 of assistance for LIHEAP cooling between all our partnerships this past year. We believe that once residents who have benefited from this assistance share their experience with others, we will see more participation.”

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