STEPS to Stability Hamilton County
What is the STEPS to Stability Program?
The STEPS to Stability Program was created by Council on Aging to help address common, one-time needs that can impact an older adult’s ability to remain independent in their homes and communities.
STEPS to Stability is no longer accepting applications for utility assistance. The application window closed on June 30.
STEPS to Stability is no longer accepting applications for home modifications or repairs.
Who is eligible?
The STEPS to Stability Program – Hamilton County is for county residents age 60 and older who meet certain income requirements.
Home Repairs and Modifications
The STEPS to Stability program is no longer accepting applications for home repairs or modification.
Questions?
If you have questions, please call COA at (513) 743-9000.
Utility Assistance
The STEPS to Stability program is no longer accepting applications for utility assistance.
Eligibility Criteria:
- You must have your Duke Account Number available in order to apply. Applications will not be accepted without the Duke Account Number.
- Hamilton County resident age 60 and over
- Older adult or other family member in the household currently paying the utility bill
- Ineligible for other assistance programs (excluding HEAP)
- Household income of 300% of poverty level or below, following the guidelines below:
- $47,880 for a household of one
- $64,920 for a household of two
- $81,960 for a household of three
- $99,000 for a household of four
How to apply for utility assistance
The STEPS to Stability program is no longer accepting applications for utility assistance.
Utility Assistance Important Questions & Answers
No. If you received a utility credit through this program last year, you are not eligible to apply for assistance this year. We will review all received applications to ensure applicants meet this criteria.
Eligible individuals may receive a credit on their Duke Energy Utility bill in the following amounts:
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- $500 if you are not eligible for assistance through HEAP
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- $200 if you are also eligible for assistance through Ohio’s Home Energy Assistance Program (HEAP)
You will receive a letter from Council on Aging informing you of the status of your application. We will not process applications until AFTER June 30, so it may be several weeks before you receive an update regarding your application status.
It is important to understand that funding for this program is limited and as a result, not all applicants may receive utility assistance. To ensure everyone has the same opportunity to receive utility assistance funding, we will not begin reviewing applications until after the application deadline, June 30. At that time, we will review all submitted applications to ensure they meet the program’s eligibility requirements. When the eligibility review is complete, we will use a fair, unbiased random selection process to distribute funds among eligible applicants. This will continue until all the funding is fully distributed.
While you wait to hear about your application status, it is important that you continue to pay your utility bill.
If you are not able to attend one of the 513Relief Bus + COA Senior Day events listed above, there are two other ways you may apply for assistance. Regardless of how you apply, you must have your Duke Energy account number available.
You may apply for utility assistance using our online application form (application now closed).
If you are unable to complete the online application or attend an event, please contact SOACT for assistance:
- (513) 861-2790
- 11 a.m. – 2 p.m., Mondays and Wednesdays only
The deadline to apply is June 30, 2026.
We are grateful to be able to offer utility assistance to eligible Hamilton County older adults. However, this program generates a lot of interest from the community, resulting in thousands of phone calls (sometimes in one day) to our Aging and Disability Resource Center (our call center). This call volume results in long-wait times for people calling Council on Aging for assistance on a variety of issues (not just utility assistance). To keep our call center staff available to help callers with other important issues and to ensure a fair and equitable utility assistance application process, we will NOT be accepting applications for utility assistance through our call center (513) 721-1025. If you call this number to apply for utility assistance, you will be directed to one of the three available application methods – all of which are listed on this webpage. Thank you for your understanding and cooperation.