During the winter months, many poor and elderly Americans are forced to choose between heating their homes or buying necessities such as food and medicine. And sometimes the cliche broke college student makes the same sacrifice.

The Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program allows DeKalb senior citizens and the disabled priority registration to receive financial assistance on their winter heating costs.

Beginning November 1, low-income citizens, such as students, also will be able to apply.

“It’s a one-time benefit for heating and electric that appears on utility bills,” said Nancy Kane-Richards, assistant director of the LIHEAP program in DeKalb.

More than $100 million of federal and state money will go to Illinois residents in need this year.

An additional $100 million in emergency funds will be provided to states, territories and tribes to provide heating for low-income families, including many of the nation’s elderly.

Now is typically a busy time for the program.

“I encourage people to make an appointment as early as possible,” Kane-Richards said.

Oddly enough, students haven’t taken advantage of the program said Susan Wohl, executive director of Community Contacts. She blames a lack of awareness.

Increased dialogue with NIU financial departments will hopefully provide a solution, she said.

“This is not really high on their priority list. Students are often busy and they have to gather the info together,” Wohl said.

“I think it’s well worth doing, if people are watching their parents’ pennies and their own,” Wohl said.

If students are able to muster the effort to apply, $100 to $1,000 may be waiting for them, depending on both their income and number of people.

Locals are eligible when incomes do not exceed 60 percent of the state median income or the poverty level for their state. Two-thirds of the families receiving LIHEAP assistance have incomes of less than $8,000 a year – the program is designed to help people who need it most.

The number of federally eligible households increased 49 percent and federal fuel assistance funds rose 22 percent between 1981 and the 2000 fiscal year, according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. However, households receiving LIHEAP assistance heavily declined, from 36 percent in 1981 to 20 percent during the 2000 fiscal year.

The total number of LIHEAP’s recipient households has also declined from 7.1 million in 1981 to 3.9 million in 2000 because of increasingly restricted eligibility. Still, only 13 percent of eligible households receive LIHEAP assistance.

Established in 1982, the program is administered at the state and county levels using governmental agencies and local community action programs, like Community Contacts, that help senior citizens, disabled persons and low-income citizens throughout Illinois and the United States.

Assistant Metro Editor Justin Gallagher contributed to this story.