A federal grant program administered locally by the Suffolk County Department of Social Services, created to assist low income households with heating costs, will be offered again this year.
The “Home Energy Assistance Program” (HEAP) will not only aid low income households with home heating expenses, but will also provide emergency assistance for household repair and/or replacement of home furnaces.
The application eligibility cycle will open on November 2. Those who received HEAP benefits last year will automatically be mailed an application.
Household income eligibility requirements for HEAP have been increased to the maximum amount permitted under federal law. Under the new requirements, qualifying single-person households can earn as much as $2,030 gross monthly. The gross income maximum for a two-person household is $2,654; for three people it’s $3,279; and for a household of four, it’s $3,901.
To receive a HEAP application and instructions, visit the websites otda.state.ny.us or suffolkcountyny.gov after November 2. For additional information, call the HEAP hotline at (800) 342-3009 or the district office of New York State Assemblyman Fred W. Thiele Jr. at 537-2583.
27east on Oct 22, 2009