Nearly 1.5 Million Households Received Assistance Last Winter
Governor Andrew M. Cuomo today announced households that need help paying their heating bills this winter can begin applying for assistance from the Home Energy Assistance Program on Monday, November 16. The program provides financial assistance to help low-income and elderly New Yorkers keep their homes warm in the winter months.
“The Home Energy Assistance Program is vital to helping struggling households afford the costs of heating their homes during the cold New York winters,” Governor Cuomo said. “It provides some much-needed relief, especially for low-income working families, as well as senior citizens on a fixed income. I encourage anyone in need of this assistance to apply before the coldest weather sets in.”
The Home Energy Assistance Program is funded by the federal government and is overseen by the New York State Office of Temporary and Disability Assistance. Eligible households can receive a one-time benefit of up to $625 this winter depending upon income, household size and heating source. For the upcoming season, a household of four can earn up to $51,792, or $4,316 a month, and still qualify for assistance.
Last winter, 1.48 million households received benefits through the program. A breakdown of the number of households that received assistance last winter, by region is below:
| Region | Households Served 2014-15 |
| Capital District | 70,467 |
| Central New York | 63,061 |
| Finger Lakes | 93,715 |
| Long Island | 70,405 |
| Mid-Hudson | 108,804 |
| Mohawk Valley | 49,998 |
| New York City | 787,602 |
| North Country | 38,862 |
| Southern Tier | 56,335 |
| Western New York | 143,915 |
| NEW YORK STATE | 1,483,164 |
Households may also be eligible for an emergency benefit if they are in danger of running out of heating fuel or having their utility service shut off. Applications for emergency benefits will be accepted beginning Monday, January 4, 2016. Households facing an energy emergency should call their local department of social services for assistance.
Anyone living outside of New York City can apply for a regular Home Energy Assistance benefit online at myBenefits.ny.gov. Last year, more than 42,000 households applied through the myBenefits site.
Senator Charles E. Schumer said, “Hundreds of thousands of fixed-income seniors and low-to moderate-income New Yorkers rely on LIHEAP to help pay rising home heating costs. That’s why I worked so hard to secure more than $326 million in federal funding to help New York’s most vulnerable cover their high energy costs. It is good news that this assistance will become available November 16th before winter rears its ugly head across the north east.”
Congressman Sean Patrick Maloney said, “No one should have to choose between putting food on the table and heating their home this winter. This investment can help us to ensure that our most vulnerable neighbors are taken care of as the weather turns colder.”
New York State Office of Temporary and Disability Assistance Commissioner Samuel D. Roberts said, “The Home Energy Assistance Program is especially important to help keep some of our most vulnerable New Yorkers warm in the wintertime. But people who think they may be eligible need to apply for assistance. The easiest way to do this, for people living outside of New York City, is to submit an application online.”
For more information about the Home Energy Assistance Program, go tohttp://otda.ny.gov/programs/heap. New Yorkers can find contact information for their county department of social services at http://otda.ny.gov/programs/heap/HEAP-contacts.pdf.
