Crisis Intervention Program is part of the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) Block Grant and is an important service for all, but especially for families with elderly, disabled or a young children under 6 years old who are especially at risk for life threatening or health related emergency if their home is too cold in the winter or too hot in the summer. Applicants apply for CIP funds to alleviate a heating or cooling related crisis. Benefits may vary based upon the amount needed to alleviate the crisis; however, benefits cannot exceed $600 per State fiscal year. The maximum allowed benefit amount can be up to $600 per application, per crisis situation.
Below are Private Community Funded Energy Assistance Programs that are operated through local departments of social services with funds provided by the customers and employees of Progress Energy, Piedmont Natural Gas Company, Wake Electric Membership Corporation and Haywood Electric Membership Corporation to provide low income energy assistance to their customers. Funding amounts are defined by the energy provider and eligibility guidelines generally follow the Crisis Intervention Program. Help can be for heating or cooling expenses with the exception of Piedmont's program which is just for heating assistance. These programs are administered through the NC FAST:
-Share the Light is 100% funded by Progress Energy customers and employees to provide energy assistance to low income customers in the service area. Applications are taken by the local department of social services. Counties spend the funds until exhausted; any remaining funds are reallocated to the same county for the new SFY.
-Helping Each Member Cope is 100% funded by rounding up the bill to the nearest dollar for participating customers of Haywood Electric Membership Corporation to assist low income customers with energy bills. Counties spend until funds are exhausted; any remaining funds at the end of the SFY are reallocated to the same county.
-Share the Warmth is 100% funded by Piedmont Natural Gas Company employees and customers. Allocations are made to counties with gas company customers to assist with heating bills. Counties spend the funds until exhausted; any funds remaining at the end of the SFY are reallocated to the same county the following year.
-Wake Electric Roundup is 100% funded by Wake Electric Membership Corporation participating customers by rounding up their bills to the next dollar to provide energy assistance to low income customers. Allocations are made to counties based on the number of residential customers in the area. Counties spend until the funds are exhausted; any remaining funds at the end of the SFY are reallocated to the same county in the following SFY.