Emergency HEAP season opens January 2

CATSKILL―Baby it’s cold outside and for those at risk of running out of fuel to heat their homes, assistance is available.

New York State will begin accepting applications on January2 for what is known as Emergency HEAP.

Officially known as the Home Energy Assistance Program, HEAP is a federally funded program that helps low-income households pay home energy costs and funds programs for low-cost residential weatherization and other energy related home repairs.

The regular HEAP season opened back on December 1 and provides one annual benefit of up to $900 for eligible households to cover a portion of their heating bills. But for those who are in an immediate crisis―regardless of whether they have already received the regular benefit―there is additional help.

Residents may be eligible for an Emergency HEAP benefit if:

- Their electricity is necessary for their heating system or thermostat to work and is either shut-off or scheduled to be shut off;

- Their electric or natural gas heat is off or scheduled to be shut-off; or

- They are out of fuel or have less than one quarter tank of fuel oil, kerosene or propane or have less than a ten (10) day supply of wood, wood pellets, corn, or other deliverable heat source.

Income guidelines also apply and as do restrictions on available financial resources.

Unlike regular HEAP, applications for Emergency HEAP cannot be filed through the state’s website and must go through the county department of social services.

Last year, some 4,364 HEAP benefits went out in Greene County and more than 1,000 of those were for emergencies, according to Greene County Department of Social Services Commissioner Kira Pospesel.

All HEAP funding comes to states through the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. In April, the Trump administration laid off the program’s entire workforce as part of massive restructuring and proposed eliminating the $4 billion program. When the funding was ultimately allocated, it was a month late for the program that typically opens in New York State around November 1.

“It was a crisis for those people,” Pospesel told county lawmakers at a recent meeting.

When HEAP applications could finally be accepted by the county, Pospesel said the department received 871 phone calls in the first day.

“Going downstairs behind the receptionist was pretty mindboggling,” she said.

“Typically, we get around 300 calls. Even the next day it was 547 calls… another 471 the next day,” Pospesel noted. “And that is phone calls, it doesn’t count the online applications.”

More information on Emergency HEAP guidelines is available at https://otda.ny.gov/programs/heap.

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