PIERRE – As temperatures in South Dakota rise with the start of summer, the Department of Social Services (DSS) is reminding the public of an important initiative.
DSS offers assistance with repair and replacement of air conditioning systems to eligible South Dakotans who own their home and who are eligible for the Low-Income Energy Assistance Program.
Eligibility for Energy Assistance is based on the number of people and income of everyone in the home. To apply for energy assistance and help with repair and replacement of air conditioning systems that are not working or not working properly, visit https://dss.sd.gov/economicassistance/energyassistance/ or your local Community Action Agency at https://dss.sd.gov/economicassistance/communityassistance.aspx.
Air conditioner repair and replacement is based on a first-come basis, and the payments are made to the energy supplier.
Four Community Action Programs administer the air conditioner repair and replacement program for DSS and cover every county in the state:
- Inter-Lakes Community Action – Ph: 605-256-6518 (www.interlakescap.com) serves Brookings, Clark, Codington, Deuel, Grant, Hamlin, Kingsbury, Lake, McCook, Miner, Minnehaha, and Moody counties.
- Grow South Dakota – Ph: 605-698-7654 (https://www.growsd.org/) serves Beadle, Brown, Campbell, Day, Edmunds, Faulk, Hand, Hughes, Hyde, McPherson, Marshall, Potter, Roberts, Spink, Stanley, Sully, and Walworth counties.
- Rural Office of Community Services – Ph: 605-384-3883 (www.rocsinc.org) serves Aurora, Bon Homme, Brule, Buffalo, Charles Mix, Clay, Davison, Douglas, Gregory, Hanson, Hutchinson, Jerauld, Jones, Lincoln, Lyman, Mellette, Sanborn, Todd, Tripp, Turner, Yankton, and Union counties.
- Western South Dakota Community Action – Ph: 605-348-1460 (www.wsdca.org) serves Bennett, Butte, Corson, Custer, Dewey, Fall River, Haakon, Harding, Jackson, Lawrence, Meade, Perkins, Oglala Lakota, Pennington, and Ziebach counties.
DSS also provides energy assistance to help low-income South Dakotans pay for home heating costs. Applications may be submitted any time for the upcoming winter.
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