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People who receive assistance from the Poverello Outreach ministry are hardworking men and women who are simply having a tough time making ends meet. Often they are working at two or three jobs or suffer from ill-health. They simply need a little bit of help, and Poverello Outreach strives to assist them.

Tazwood Community Services, Inc. is organized for the purpose of reducing the causes and alleviating the effects of poverty in Tazewell and Woodford counties. ======================================================== The 2026-27 LIHEAP program will begin setting appointments on September 29, 2026 at 8 a.m. via phone. Appointments for October and November will be scheduled this day. The online scheduling system will open at the end of the business day. October Priority Groups: *Age 60 or older *Those receiving a form of Social Security Disability or VA Disability *Households with children age 5 or under *Households with a disconnection notice or who are currently disconnected November: Open to ALL Applications will be taken from October 1, 2026 - August 13, 2027, or until funding is exhausted. Funding for LIHEAP is provided in part or in whole by the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity. Per program rules, appointments may be scheduled up to 60 days in advance. If there are no appointments appearing on the scheduler (https://www.tazwoodcs.org/liheap) or when you contact the office, please check back the next business day. The scheduler automatically unlocks appointments as they become available. PLEASE NOTE: If a customer has a crisis situation, a shut off notice or are disconnected from services, they may be eligible to receive Reconnection Assistance (RA). An RA payment looks at the amount due to the vendor to prevent disconnection or restoration of services. If you receive a disconnection notice, please contact us immediately to see if you are eligible for services. ------------------------------------------- Customers who have applied for services can check the status of their application or upload their documents here: https://liheap2025.ilenergyassistance.com/customerinquiry =================================================== *Warm Neighbors, Cool Friends, which is for higher income households, is also offered. *Tazwood will continue to complete applications to enroll customers in the Low Income Discount Rate (LIDR) if you are an Ameren gas or Nicor gas customer

Tri-County Opportunities Council is a community action agency serving Bureau, Carroll, LaSalle, Lee, Marshall, Ogle, Putnam, Stark, and Whiteside counties. ============================================== 2026-27 LIHEAP Utility Assistance Details The LIHEAP year opens on October 1, 2026, with a priority period for the following households: *With a person age 60 or older *With a child age 5 or under *With a person receiving Social Security Disability benefits *With a disconnection notice or are disconnected The program opens to ALL eligible low-income households on November 1, 2026 Marshall County LIHEAP Office: 309-246-2200 Stark County LIHEAP Office: 309-286-2967 (Open 2nd & 4th Tuesday, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.--Can also call main office during the rest of the week at 800-323-5434 ) Putnam County, please use main office line for LIHEAP: 815-625-7830 or 800-323-5434 In addition to LIHEAP, Tri-Counties Opportunities Council offers the "Neighbor to Neighbor" program for possible utility assistance.

Tazwood Community Services, Inc. is the community action agency now serving Peoria County, in addition to Tazewell and Woodford counties.

The Stark County Good Samaritan Fund accepts applications from working families in the area that have needs beyond their means to pay. The Fund provides stop gap assistance to get them back on their feet and can potentially assist with a variety of services. About one third of all funds will be used to pay utility bills. Another one third will pay for housing, rent or mortgage payments. The final third will end up going for everything from medical services, to car mufflers. The aim is to keep the people in their present homes, to keep their car working so they can get to work, and to get them needed medical attention so that they can work. The Fund has a board that determines who qualifies for help and how much help can be provided. The board also governs all other aspects of the organization.

The Salvation Army Heartland Division provides limited veteran housing assistance through SSVF or Supportive Services for Veteran Families. The program is a housing stability-focused service delivery program for very low-income veteran families throughout Central Illinois. This program serves individuals and families that are experiencing homelessness or imminently at risk of being homeless. The goal is to stabilize in housing, while providing on-going support as needed to sustain independent living. *Please note that the Veterans Outreach Center is not able to assist with mortgage, contract for deed, rent to own, or car payments.

The Salvation Army is an international movement and an evangelical part of the universal Christian Church. It offers numerous assistance programs for those in need. ------------------ 2026 Warming & Cooling Center Information: Open as a warming or cooling center during extreme temperatures. The Salvation Army's building is at 243 Derby St. in Pekin, and The Pekin Outreach Initiative is housed on the East Side of this building. The Pekin Outreach Initiative portion is open from 11am-4pm, Monday through Sunday, for people to drop in and warm up/cool off. The Salvation Army shelter in the gym at the same location is open overnight 5pm-10:30am, Monday through Sunday, for warming or cooling. Usually limited to 10-15 people at most for this purpose.

The Salvation Army is an international movement and an evangelical part of the universal Christian Church. It offers numerous assistance programs for those in need. ======================== Some additional details on a few common services: ------------------------------------------------ For RENTAL ASSISTANCE, there are two programs: 1. First month's rent and/or deposit assistance: Only available in domestic violence situations, disasters, or when being released from an institution (jail, hospital, or other facility) after 90 days. May call anytime for screening. Please ask for a case manager and state that you are in such a situation. 2. Back rent: -Will need proof of hardship and proof of income (or projected income). Please call repeatedly the first Monday of the month @ 8:30 a.m. (if Monday is a holiday, please call Tuesday) -Back rent program also includes contract for deed and lot rent for trailers. ----------------------------------- Mortgage Assistance (principle & interest only; no late fees or escrow/taxes): -Applicant will need proof of hardship, income (or projected income), and some sort of statement from the lender about delinquent payment. Please call repeatedly the first Monday of the month @ 8:30 a.m. (if Monday is a holiday, please call Tuesday) ============================= Warm Neighbors, Cool Friends *Electric/Gas Assistance (Warm Neighbors, Cool Friends for Ameren Illinois customers): For moderate-income people in crisis situation (those with low incomes must go through Tazwood Community Services-LIHEAP or Peoria Township Relief/try local township office). Please see specific income guidelines and further eligibility guidelines here: https://www.warmneighborscoolfriends.org =============================