MONTGOMERY – The Alabama Department of Economic and Community Affairs announced today that the Community Action Agency of Northeast Alabama will continue temporary responsibility for managing the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program in Jefferson County until the process to name a longer-term agency is completed.
The program provides emergency assistance with home heating and cooling bills for qualified residents, including low-income families with children, people with disabilities and the elderly. The Community Action Agency of Northeast Alabama originally assumed emergency responsibility for the program in Jefferson County for the month of December.
This temporary action will ensure that eligible Jefferson County residents are able to apply for LIHEAP assistance during the colder winter months when home heating needs are higher, ADECA Director Kenneth Boswell said.
“With the colder temperatures of recent weeks, our priority continues to be assisting the most vulnerable residents of Jefferson County” Boswell said. “While we are in the process of selecting a long-term agency to manage the program in Jefferson County, we are appreciative of the Community Action Agency of Northeast Alabama for continuing to assume this temporary, emergency responsibility.”
For the longer term, ADECA has developed and issued a solicitation for applications to identify an eligible entity for administration of LIHEAP and its other programs that aid low-income Jefferson County residents. The period for entities to submit proposals ends on Feb. 11. The Community Action Agency of Northeast Alabama will continue to provide temporary emergency LIHEAP assistance to Jefferson County until the selected entity is mobilized to begin providing services in the county.
Community Action Agency of North Alabama contact information for Jefferson County:
Website: www.caaneal.org/liheap
Email: communityactionagency@caaneal.org
Facebook: www.facebook.com/CAANEAL
Agency phone number: (256) 899-8760
Birmingham location: Serving You Ministries – 6523 1st Avenue N, Birmingham, AL 35206
The application may be downloaded via the agency’s website. The agency requests that residents seeking to apply in person for crisis assistance to schedule an appointment to ensure a case manager is available. The phone number for the scheduler is (205) 778-2474.
