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TextCooling Assistance and Fan Care Programs
Fairfax County residents who need help to keep their homes cool this summer and prevent a health emergency resulting from extreme heat may be able to get assistance from two programs locally administered by the county's Department of Family Services.
The Cooling Assistance Program
The Cooling Assistance program, a federally funded program, helps eligible low-income households with at least one person considered especially vulnerable to heat: a child under age six, a disabled individual, or an adult age 60 or older. Cooling assistance can be used to help with:
- Payment of electric bills to operate cooling equipment.
- Payment of security deposits for electricity to operate cooling equipment.
- Repair of a central air conditioning system or heat pump.
- Purchase of a whole-house fan, including ceiling or attic fans.
- Purchase and installation of one window unit air conditioner for households where there is no unit or where the unit must be replaced.
Applications for the Cooling Assistance Program will be accepted from June 15 through August 15.
Apply Online - or -
For more information or an application form, visit the Virginia Department of Social Services Cooling Assistance page. Then complete the application and mail it along with a copy of your current electric bill and a pay stub to:
Fairfax County Department of Family Service - Lake
Anne Building
11484 Washington Plaza West
4th floor
Reston, VA 20190
You may also request an application by calling 703-787-3100; TTY: 711 or
pick one up at any of the county’s DFS offices:
- Annandale - Heritage Center, West Wing, 7611 Little River Turnpike, Annandale
- Fairfax - Pennino Building, 2nd floor, 12011 Government Center Parkway
- Reston - Lake Anne Office Building, 4th floor 11484 Washington Plaza West, Reston
- Richmond Highway/Alexandria - South County Center, 8350 Richmond Hwy (Rt. 1), 4th floor
Get this information as a flyer in pdf form in English and Spanish.
The Fan Care Program
The Fan Care program is another way to help older
Fairfax area residents stay safe in the summer heat. This electric fan
distribution program, sponsored by Dominion Virginia Power in partnership
with the Virginia Department for the Aging, annually provides about 200
free fans and/or window air conditioners to eligible senior adults in the
Fairfax area.
To qualify for Fan Care, a person must be at least 60
years old, need a fan to prevent heat-related health problems and meet
income eligibility requirements. Not everyone in the home needs to be an
older adult to qualify for a fan, but all incomes must be counted. There
is a limit of one fan per household.
The Fan Care program begins on June 1 and runs through
the end of September. To request an application, call the Fairfax
County’s Department of Family Services – Fairfax Area Agency on Aging at
703-324-7694, TTY 703-449-1186.
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