Sullivan County officials warn that the New York State Office of Temporary and Disability Assistance is anticipating the state’s HEAP funding to be flat for this year.
The Home Energy Assistance Program, known as HEAP, helps low-income New Yorkers with heating and cooling their homes.
At a Health & Human Services Committee meeting on Sept. 11, Sullivan County Health and Human Services Commissioner John Liddle said when the federal budget is enacted, key HEAP services would be significantly limited. That could have serious consequences for keeping seniors safe.
“Our HEAP client population tends to skew towards seniors and so those folks, if they’re unable to keep their furnaces up and repaired and ready to go for the winter season, they’re at much higher risk for a fire, which puts our local firefighters at risk,” said Liddle.
Clean & Tune, Weatherization, and Home Energy Repair/Replace benefits may not be available this year. Only primary and emergency benefits would be available.
Liddle says the flat budget line from last year to this year is tied to depleted post-pandemic funds.
“Based on previous years where there’s been significant amounts pumped into programs post pandemic, those rollover funds have been exhausted by New York State,” he said.
The potential cuts to energy assistance come as several lawmakers, including New York District 19 Representative Josh Riley, launch investigations into utility companies over exorbitant rate hikes. New York Senator Peter Oberacker also called for an investigation into skyrocketing utility bills in July.
The HEAP application period is scheduled to open on November 1st.
Image: Temperature controls for heating and cooling (Photo Credit: avantrend on Pixabay)