HELP WITH THE HEATING BILL

Mike McCagg

ccSCOOP News

01-02-10 – 9:00 a.m. - Some are emergency calls to fill an empty fuel oil tank. Others are requests to replace a broken furnace which is the only defense against the biting cold. Still others seek month-to-month help in paying heating bills.

With the Northeast now firmly in winter, Columbia County officials are reporting an increase in requests for heating assistance through the federal Home Energy Assistance Program (HEAP).   Department of Social Services Commissioner Paul Mossman said that since the beginning of November, his office has fielded 471 requests for heating assistance. Meanwhile, the Office for the Aging, which also administers the program, has fielded 788 requests for assistance. Mossman said the increase in HEAP requests mirrors the increased number of requests for public assistance through other forms. This is true partly because those who qualify for Department of Social Services payments automatically qualify for HEAP. Experts say, however, there has also been an increase in requests from the elderly, the working poor, and others who are not seeking DSS payments.

“I wouldn’t have had any heat for a week if it wasn’t for this program,” one of the programs users told ccSCOOP. The woman, who asked not to be identified, said she does not seek other forms of public assistance..

HEAP funds traditionally assist homeowners and renters who qualify in paying their heating costs. For example, a single person who makes less than $2,030 a month would qualify for aid. A family of four with a combined monthly income of less than $3,903 also qualifies. Recipients can receive up to $800 for the winter to help pay for energy costs. The program also provides emergency funds for those who qualify. So far this year, Mossman said twenty-nine “emergency deliveries” of heating oil have been made and six furnaces installed.

A spokesman for the NYS Office of Temporary and Disability Insurance said that hard numbers are not available for this year yet, but informal discussions have found that the number of people seeking applying for HEAP this year is higher than more than 300,000 who had applied for assistance last winter.

Asked about the potential of exhausting the $475 million in HEAP grants the state anticipates receiving this season, Mossman said that if the funds start running out, he expects the state’s federal representatives would be quick to secure additional funding.

Senator Kirsten Gillibrand said in a prepared statement last week that the cost of heating oil in New York—$2.46 per gallon—is  the second highest in the nation.Approximately 3 million New Yorkers rely on heating oil to heat their homes in the winter, making New York particularly vulnerable to shortages and price hikes resulting from extremely high demand. Gillibrand also stated that the program is underutilized and more New Yorkers should seek HEAP assistance.