Missouri LIHEAP and Utility Help for Grandparents Raising a Grandchild

Adding a child to your household raises every bill — but the utility bill can spike fastest, especially in a Missouri summer or winter. If you are a grandparent or relative raising a grandchild on a fixed income, LIHEAP (the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program) and local emergency assistance programs can help cover the cost of keeping the lights and heat on.

How LIHEAP Works in Missouri

LIHEAP is a federally funded program administered locally by community action agencies under FSD oversight. It provides direct financial assistance to help low-income households pay heating and cooling costs.

The program has two main components:

Heating and Cooling Assistance: Seasonal assistance toward heating and cooling costs. Ask your local agency about the payment method, amount, and timing for your household.

Energy Crisis Intervention Program (ECIP): Emergency help for urgent energy needs. Contact your local agency to ask whether your situation qualifies and how assistance is provided.

Eligibility

LIHEAP eligibility is based on household income and countable resources; Missouri's program has a $3,000 countable-resource cap. Ask your local agency for the current income limits for the program component you need.

A grandchild living in your home counts as a household member, which increases your household size and may raise the income limit. If you already receive SNAP or TA, mention that when you apply; you still apply for LIHEAP through your local community action agency.

How to Apply

LIHEAP is not available through myDSS. You apply through your local community action agency — these are regional nonprofits contracted by FSD to administer the program.

To find your local agency, call Missouri 211 (dial 211) or the FSD Call Center at 1-855-373-4636 and ask for LIHEAP enrollment information in your county.

Bring:

• Proof of identity
• Proof of household income (Social Security award letters, pay stubs, benefit statements)
• A recent utility bill showing your account number and usage
• Proof of household composition (the child's birth certificate, school enrollment records)

Contact your local agency to confirm current application dates for heating and cooling assistance and whether ECIP funds are available.

Beyond LIHEAP

LIHEAP covers utility costs, but kinship families facing a sudden emergency — an unexpected car repair, a security deposit for a larger apartment, medical co-pays — need other sources:

Regional Family Resource Centers provide flexible emergency grants, food pantries, clothing closets, and other crisis support. FamilyForward serves the St. Louis metro area; similar organizations operate in other regions.

Salvation Army and St. Vincent de Paul offer emergency utility and rent assistance in many Missouri counties.

KIN-4-KID line (1-833-546-4543) can connect you with emergency resources specific to kinship families in your area.

Missouri 211 is the broadest referral service — dial 211 for connections to food banks, utility assistance, housing programs, and emergency aid in your county.

How Utility Help Fits With Other Benefits

LIHEAP has its own eligibility rules and application through a local community action agency. If you receive other benefits, ask each program whether a LIHEAP award or household change needs to be reported.

The Missouri Kinship Financial Help Guide includes information on LIHEAP alongside every other benefit available to grandparents and relatives raising children, with a complete directory of application steps and contact information.

See more Missouri guides →