Milwaukee heating bill assistance programs.
Programs in Milwaukee offer heating bill and general energy assistance to low-income residents. The number of requests and demand for help greatly increases during the winter as well as around the holidays. So residents of Milwaukee have a number of financial benefits available to them from the agencies listed below.
Resources can help with paying fuel costs, pay for getting your heat or natural gas turned back on, or even provide for emergency furnace replacement or repair. Of course there is emergency financial help (or free grant money) to help pay heating bills during the winter. Any financial aid offered is always intended to help pay a portion of your heating costs and is not intended to pay the total annual bill or all of your expenses.
One of the places to turn to for advice and information is Social Development Commission (SDC). They can advise low income families on private and government heating assistance programs, provide energy saving tips, and help people navigate and apply for help.
Case managers also facilitate various non-emergency or proactive crisis services and advice. This includes tips on how to reduce fuel costs, arranging co-pay agreements, and counselors can arrange for payment plans on your heating bills with your fuel supplier. Also get referrals for other local heating related services and non-profits in Milwaukee. The sites and phone numbers are.
- 4041 N. Richards Street, zip code 53212, call (414) 906-2800
- 2701 S. Chase Avenue, Milwaukee, WI 53207. Telephone (414) 906-2800
- 6848 N. Teutonia Avenue, 53209. Call (414) 906-2800
Milwaukee residents can apply for the state of Wisconsin WHEAP/Home Energy Assistance Program. This is for very low income residents, including a household with a child or senior member. Cash grants can be paid out for your heating, electricity, oil and/or natural gas bills. The funds provided are not loans and do not need to be repaid. Dial 1-866-432-8947, or stop by or call a SDC agency listed above. Grants for WHEAP or LIHEAP are only offered during the heating season in Milwaukee, which is defined as October 1-May 15. The funding offered by any programs will only pay a portion of your heating bill, so the client needs to still contribute.
A local household who has no heat can apply for emergency aid. So if you are nearly out of fuel, have a disconnection notice from We Energies or another company, or have no money, crisis assistance can help. A 24 hour hotline (1-866-432-8947) has also been set up by the city and county for after hours service.
If your furnace or heating system is not working, then the government may provide for furnace tune up, repair or replacement. So regardless of your system, whether your boiler, furnace or other heating system stops working, assistance is offered during the cold winter heating season. Grants offered can pay for repairs. Or if the heating system is in bad shape, money pay even pay for an entirely new furnace or unit. This is offered if the Milwaukee home is owner occupied and if the applicant meets income requirements. This program only operates when funds are available, and the application criteria is a little stricter.
Milwaukee families are also protected by the state’s cold weather disconnection rules as well as medical services. So during the winter, if a lack of heat may cause a hardship and if other conditions and criteria are met by the applicant, then your family may be protected by rules and regulations that are intended to protect the health and even the life of residential households. This can also protect those struggling families who have a medical emergency, and their disconnection can be postponed for up to a few weeks. This will provide the family time to pay their bills and get back on track.
We Energies, Social Development Commission, the state, and the city of Milwaukee are all big advocates of energy conservation. The main resource for this is the government’s free weatherization program. It will help people make their home warmer during the cold winter months by help them keep the warm air in, and the cold air out! Call SDC to learn more.
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