Home heat assistance is available

FINGER LAKES--The Home Energy Assistance Program (HEAP) helps low-income people pay the cost of heating their homes.
If a person is eligible, the recipient can receive one regular HEAP benefit per season and could also be eligible for an emergency HEAP benefit if a person is in impending danger of running out of fuel or having the utility service shut off.
The application period normally begins in early to mid-November and continues into the winter, until funding for the program runs out.
To be eligible for an emergency benefit, applicants must meet the following criteria:
• A regular HEAP benefit must not be available or any credit remaining on an account is insufficient to resolve the applicant's emergency.
• The applicant is facing a heating emergency or heat-related domestic emergency:
• The applicant's utility service is terminated or scheduled for termination;
• The applicant's electric utility service necessary to operate the primary heating equipment is terminated or scheduled for termination;
• The applicant is without heating fuel or has less than one quarter tank of oil, kerosene, or propane; or less than a ten-day supply of other heating fuels;
• The applicant must be the customer of record for the utility or deliverable fuel account.
• The applicant and all household members must meet the resource limit requirements.
• Applicant households must not have more than $2,000 (or $3,000 if the household contains a member age 60 or older) in available liquid resources.
• Applicants in receipt of on-going Temporary Assistance (TA) have already been resource tested.
Apply for an emergency HEAP benefit at your HEAP Local District Contact--a HEAP emergency benefit may be issued in addition to your regular HEAP benefit. Problem with your heating equipment? HEAP can also help repair or replace a furnace, boiler or other heating components. The person must apply in person at your HEAP Local District Contact.
Contact the Department of Social Services in your home county for additional information about the heating assistance program.