New York State is poised to receive more than $50.6 million to assist low-income families in paying for their winter heating bills. In Syracuse, this aid could give relief to thousands of families.

The Low-Income Home Energy Assistance program, known as HEAP, is a federal program designed to help poorer households and senior citizens that struggle to meet their energy costs during harsh weather seasons. 

In New York, aid is offered on a first-come, first-served basis to households with monthly incomes below $2,175 to $6,461, depending on the family size, according to the Office of Temporary and Disability Assistance website. The one-time payment funnels directly to their energy company. The amount of aid an eligible family receives ranges from $20 to $500, according to the website.

Syracuse, which recently topped the Weather Channel’s list of 20 snowiest cities, is particularly in need of additional funding this winter. Onondaga County’s HEAP department received 9,990 applications this winter, up from 6,522 last year, said Jim Reith, the branch’s public information specialist. Reith added that households eligible for the program continue to exceed those receiving assistance.

Although economic hardships could be seen as a factor, Syracuse’s unusually harsh encounter with the polar vortex has affected the number of people applying this year, Reith said.

New York has yet to decide how much each county requires, but as one of the state’s “big five” cities, he said he hopes to get a sizable share of the state’s $366 million budget for energy assistance. He added that the incoming aid is a much-needed boost, but its late-season timing has forced Onondaga to use whatever funds they may receive as a safety measure.

“Because the people have already received their benefits — that is, the energy providers have already been paid — what we also do is Emergency HEAP,” Reith said. “Emergency HEAP is available for people who are eligible for HEAP and then have an energy-related emergency.”

Emergency HEAP is offered to anyone eligible for regular aid that is at risk of having their power shut off. Those who are eligible may need it to cover late payments to energy companies, or if they have fewer than 10 days of their own supplies of oil, kerosene, propane, wood and pellets. Reith said there are many people in the Syracuse area that still fall into the latter energy category.

In a letter to Secretary of Health Kathleen Sebelius, N.Y. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand and 39 colleagues insisted that funds for energy be made available “at as high a level as possible,” according to her website. The letter noted that on average, those that are covered by HEAP still spend a greater portion of their money on energy.

“This funding has been an indispensable lifeline during challenging economic times, helping to ensure that recipients do not have to choose between paying their energy bills and paying for other necessities like food or medicine,” the letter stated.

Gillibrand also stressed the importance of HEAP in New York, where more than one million people rely on HEAP aid throughout the year.

“No New York family should ever be left in the cold,” she said in a statement. “But with bitter cold temperatures and rising energy costs, families and seniors who are struggling in this tough economy can’t afford to heat their homes.”

Published on February 5, 2014 at 12:38 am