WOODSTOCK – Financially strapped seniors and disabled residents in McHenry County can begin applying for winter heating assistance through the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program.

The program is a state and federally funded energy assistance program for low-income families that pays for heating bills throughout the winter months, according to the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity. Bills are paid directly to utilities on behalf of eligible households, unless heating costs are included in rent.

In McHenry County, more than 2,000 families a year take part in the summer cooling and winter heating programs, said Julie Biel Claussen, executive director of the McHenry County Housing Authority. The programs last year paid out more than $1.6 million in utility costs.