To support customers in financial hardship, CWLP Customer Service is offering flexible payment plans and encouraging those needing help to set up a payment arrangement and also seek financial assistance from many available local, State and Federal resources—many of which are listed below.

To avoid disruption of service, CWLP Customers should review financial assistance options below, and contact our office to make payment plans or deferred arrangements. Call 217.789.2030 or e-mail cwlp.customer@cwlp.com or through online account management messaging at myCWLP.com. Be sure to include your name, street address, and phone number to be reached at in any written correspondence to our office.

To former CWLP customers: Former customers of CWLP with a past due balance should inquire how to re-initiate service without our zero balance requirement and get access to financial assistance.

The Municipal Center West building where CWLP Customer Service is located is open to serve you with safe social distancing measures in place. A new waiting area is open with online check in and additional spacing for customers seeking consultation. The CWLP drive up payment window located between the municipal building and Lincoln Library remains open. There are a number of alternative payment options beyond U.S. Mail and walk-in payments: Customers can use CWLP’s drive-up window, drop box next to at our drive-up payment window, make payments online or by phone (217.789.2030) or use CWLP payment drop boxes located at INB’s S. Sixth St. and N. Dirksen Pkwy. locations or the one at Heartland Credit Union on West White Oaks Dr.

See details on these other ways to pay here.

If you owe a previous past due amount on your current account, you might (at our discretion) be allowed to enter into a payment arrangement that will allow you to spread payments on the past due amount over a period of time. The precise terms of payment arrangements are determined on a case-by-case basis, but we will work with you in every way we can to make your payment plan as reasonable as possible for you.

For more information, call the Customer Service Office at 217.789.2030.

LIHEAP stands for Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program. It is funded by the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity and administered by the Sangamon County Department of Community Resources. The program provides qualifying Sangamon County residents with financial help to cover their energy bills. Eligibility is based on income. Residents qualify based on income and the number of people in the home for a one-time payment per program year that is paid directly to their utility/energy vendors. T he program may also help with disconnect notices or propane costs if the tank is at or below 25%.

Applications open October 2nd and the first step to applying is to request an appointment, which can now be done online, or by calling 217.535.3120. Applications can also be filled out Sangamon County Community Resource Office located in Suite C100, 2833 S. Grand Avenue East.

NEW in 2023, applications in October will be prioritized for Seniors (at least one household member is age 60 or older), disabled (at least one household member receives disability benefits), and families with at least one child under 6 years old. Beginning November 1, 2023, disconnected/imminent threat and all eligible applicants can apply for benefits.

Once qualified for LIHEAP, a resident may also qualify for their Low Income Sewer Rebate Program and Weatherization program.

Find all LIHEAP info here, https://co.sangamon.il.us/departments/a-c/community-resources/programs-and-services/low-income-home-energy-assistance-program-liheap

Project RELIEF is a CWLP program that offers financial assistance to customers with overdue electric or water bills who are facing service cut-off due to nonpayment. Qualifying customers must have a total household income for the previous 90 days of no more than 150% of the Federal Poverty Guidelines and must also have exhausted all other sources of assistance including those mentioned below. Customers may be required to cover some portion of their delinquent bills in order to receive help from Project RELIEF.

The first step in applying for Project RELIEF is to call the CWLP Project RELIEF Office at 217.789.2414. The program coordinator will conduct a telephone interview with you to determine if you meet the basic requirements for participation. If you do, an appointment will be scheduled for you with Fifth Street Renaissance, which administers the program for CWLP. Sign-up for Project RELIEF starts on or around December 1 of each year. The program runs through May or until funds are exhausted, whichever comes first.

Project RELIEF is funded almost entirely by customer and CWLP employee contributions. You can sign up to contribute here or to find out more about donating to Project RELIEF, contact our Customer Service at 217.789.2030.

CWLP offers a 10% discount off the rate to any residential electric service customer who meets age and income requirements. Learn more on our Senior Discount page.

Located at 621 E. Monroe Street, this local governmental agency provides financial assistance, including help with utility bills, to qualifying residents of Capital Township. Assistance is limited to no more than once every two years. For more information, call the Township Office at 217.525.1736 or visit http://captwnshp.co.sangamon.il.us/ga.htm.

Located at 490 North Street, this local governmental agency provides financial assistance, including help with utility bills, to qualifying residents of Woodside Township. For more information, call the Township Office at 217.522.3712.

In addition to regular utility bill assistance programs such as LIHEAP and Project RELIEF, there are a number of financial assistance and loan programs that our residential and commercial customers may be eligible for, which could be used for CWLP bill payment.

General Assistance

United Way, call 211 or visit United Way of Central Illinois’ website, click here. For the United Way 211 website click here.
Abundant Faith Ministries, 217.527.1006
Salvation Army of Springfield, 217.525.2196

Community Services Block Grant Program

Sangamon County Community Resources provide services that assist low-income people to attain the skills, knowledge, and motivation necessary to achieve self-sufficiency. Through their Community Services Block Grant Program they offer housing assistance, emergency services programming and more. Applying in person is no longer required and a new easy web application is one way to pre-qualify to make the process go faster www.helpillinoisfamilies.com. 217.535.3120.

DCEO Emergency Assistance Programs

Back to Business (B2B) Grants
DCEO’s Back To Business Grant is offering $175 million in grants for businesses in industries hardest-hit by the pandemic, specifically, restaurants, hotels & creative arts. The program (B2B) consists of three separate grants to businesses in operation as of March 12, 2020, and in operation at the same time as the application. For all three grant programs there are different eligibility requirements. You can find the eligibility requirements at www.Illinois.gov/B2B.
Applications will be open between April 5 and May 10, 2023.

Get Hired Illinois
DCEO in conjunction with IDES launched the Get Hired Illinois. This new portal is designed to connect workers with available job and career training opportunities across the state. Residents and employers may access the site here. Illinois residents will also have free access to online workforce development courses via a partnership with Coursera.

Illinois Small Business Emergency Loan Fund
The Illinois Small Business Emergency Loan Fund will offer small businesses low interest loans of up to $50,000. Businesses located outside of the City of Chicago with fewer than 50 workers and less than $3 million in revenue in 2019 will be eligible to apply. Successful applicants will owe nothing for six months and will then begin making fixed payments at a below market interest rate for the remainder of a five-year loan term.

Justine Petersen COVID-19 Relief Program

Justine Petersen is offering low interest small business loans to Illinois businesses. Maximum loan size is $50,000, with an interest rate of 3% amortized over 5 years. Loan proceeds may be used for working capital or to address other costs. For more information, contact JP staffer Tristan Brown at tbrown@justinepetersen.com, or the City’s Office of Planning & Economic Development at 217.789.2377.

LIHWAP Low-Income Household Water Assistance Plan

Sangamon County’s Community Resources Office is administering locally, LIHWAP, a limited, one-time, assistance program designed to help households that are facing the threat of imminent disconnection, have already been disconnected or have past due balances over $250 for their water and wastewater services combined. Customers may apply one time for water and one time for wastewater during the program. To apply, residents can call the local Sangamon County LIHEAP and Community Resources Office 217.535.3120. The office is located in Suite C100, 2833 S. Grand Avenue East (the former Cub Foods building).

If you need help with basic household amenities covered by the programs mentioned above and believe that you may be income-eligible. If your household’s combined income for the 30 days prior to application (gross income for all household members, before taxes are deducted) is at or below 200% of the federal poverty level as shown in the chart below, you may be eligible to receive assistance.

Family Size (total number in household)	30-Day Gross Income Total to Meet Eligibility
1	$2,147
2	$2,903
3	$3,660
4	$4,417
5	$5,173
6	$5,930

Note: For households larger than 6 members please contact your county agency.

LISAP

The Low-Income Sewer Assistance Program (LISAP) is available to residents of Sangamon County. You may be eligible for a one-time payment of $90.00 for the current program year. You can call to request an application at 217.535.3120 or Download the Application.

LISC Small Business Relief Grants

Applications are open for LISC Small Business Relief Grants in amounts ranging from $5,000 to $20,000. LISC will use the funding to provide grants to businesses facing immediate financial pressure because of Covid-19. Grants can be used for:

• Payables to include rent and utilities
• Payroll (to include the applicant)
• Paying outstanding debt to vendors
• Other immediate operational costs

For more about LISC, visit https://www.lisc.org/

Low Income Sewer Rebate Program

This program can help those households in Sangamon County living in the Sangamon County Water Reclamation District and is also a one-time payment that is given at the time you apply for LIHEAP if you qualify.

You will need to show proof of income for anyone 18 and over in the household, Social Security cards for everyone in household, proof of any other income like SSA, SSI, Disability regardless of age, picture ID for those 18 and over, current bills or old bills that you may need help with and other application requests.

Residents can call the local Sangamon County Community Resources Office for information on this rebate 217.535.3120. Their office is located in Suite C100, 2833 S. Grand Avenue East (the former Cub Foods building). LIHEAP applications required to qualify for this sewer rebate are online.

Mortgage and Housing Rental Assistance

Local Rental Assistance Programs

• Springfield Housing Authority 217.753.5757
• Catholic Charities: 217.523.4551
• Fifth Street Renaissance: 217.544.5040
• Salvation Army: 217.525.2196
• Sangamon County Community Resources: 217.535.3120
• Capital Township Office: 217.525.1736
• The Youth Service Bureau: 217.529.8300 or email ysb@ysbi.com

Office of Planning & Economic Development Housing Programs
The City of Springfield’s Office of Planning and Economic Development has Community Development Block Grant Programs and other assistance available. To see all programs associated with a particular Springfield property visit our Interactive Map page. To learn more about Housing programs visit our Housing Programs page, or contact that office at info@OPED.springfield.il.us or 217.789.2377.

Consumer Financial Protection Bureau
To ensure homeowners and renters have the most up-to-date and accurate housing assistance information during the COVID-19 National Emergency, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB), Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA), and HUD launched the new Mortgage and Housing Assistance website. Visit the site

Illinois Court-Based Rental Assistance
The Illinois Court-Based Rental Assistance Program (CBRAP) provides funding to Illinois tenants and landlords across the state (outside of Cook County) who have pending cases in eviction court. The program is only available to litigants in eviction court. Applicants may qualify for up to $25,000 in emergency rental payments that can include up to 15 months of past-due rent and 3 months of future rent payments to prevent eviction.

Illinois Foreclosure Prevention Network: 888.252.1119