Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program      Phone: (605) 964-8384

Department:  General Administration

Number of employees:  1

These funds available under this title shall be used to provide assistance to low income households in meeting their home energy costs, particularly those with the lowest income that pay a high proportion of household income for home energy and taken into account family size with high energy burden.

Elderly; Handicapped / Disabled, Children 6 years and under, and Able Bodied head of households.  Meet the 150 % poverty guideline set by Health and Human Services Washington DC

 

Service Population:  Dewey and Ziebach Counties

Serving 19 Outlying Communities within 6 Districts.

District # 1 – Dupree, Bear Creek, Thunder Butte, Isabel, Iron Lightning

District # 2 – Red Scaffold

District # 3– Cherry Creek, Bridger, and Takini

District # 4 – West Eagle Butte, Green Grass, Timber Lake and White Horse

District # 5 – East Eagle Butte

District # 6 – Swiftbird, Blackfoot, LaPlant, Promise, Ridgeview

 

Services Offered:

The LIHEAP Program assists the eligible clients in help paying for their energy costs such as propane, electricity, fuel oil and wood.  Purchase or replace furnaces and tanks settings.   When funds become available the CRST-LIHEAP does summer cooling and pay for electricity bills.  Budget counseling is available.

 

Accomplishments:  During fiscal Year 2005 LIHEAP Program assisted 1,756 approved clients.  FY 2006 assisted 1,013 clients approved.  FY 2005 funding $550,220.34, FY 2006 $374,802.00 difference $193,160.34.  More funds available last year and was able to serve more clients.  This year the Income Poverty Guidelines decreased at eh Federal Level and for this reasons I was not able to serve as many clients as last year, they were not eligible went from 200% to 150% less funds available for assistance.

Locked into CRST LP Gas Co. Propane price at $1.31 per gallon.  Current price is $1.42 and at the beginning of the fiscal year October 1, 2005 it was at $1.60 per gallon.  A saving for the CRST, LP Gas Co. Clients.

 

Challenges:

  • Not enough funding available
  • Price of propane has double for the past two years
  • Cheyenne River Sioux Tribal Programs solely depend upon LIHEAP Program to assist people with propane and monthly electricity payments.

 

Message:

Economics – to use your home heating without wasting.

Readiness – for another high price of heating next fall.

Budget – make a monthly budget and set priority.