Shield of Caring

Nicor Gas and The Salvation Army have proudly worked together to help nearly 6,000 customers this program year; the 2024 application period is now closed. Shield of Caring will begin accepting applications again on January 20, 2025.

Shield of Caring is an emergency assistance and homelessness prevention program that provides individuals and families in Nicor Gas’ service area with natural gas bill payment assistance and support for other basic needs, including housing, rental and grocery assistance and grocery packages.

Shield of Caring is a new energy and emergency assistance program administered by The Salvation Army to help residential customers who are past-due on their Nicor Gas bill and have a financial hardship including job loss, illness, military deployment, disability or other circumstance. In late 2022, Nicor Gas announced an additional commitment of $5 million to the program to provide residential customers with utility bill assistance and access to supplemental basic needs programs. Customers with a household gross income in the last 30 days below 400% of the Federal Poverty Level may be eligible to receive a grant of up to $250 per program year to apply to their past-due Nicor Gas account balances. Additionally, residential customers who are eligible to receive assistance grants from other programs, such as the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) or the Sharing Program, should apply for a grant from these programs first to maximize their benefits. Customers who still have a past-due account balance after receiving assistance from those programs may be eligible to receive a grant under the Shield of Caring Program.

Visit ShieldofCaring.com to apply.