Democratic U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand has been traveling across New York to highlight funding for the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program that was included in the recently passed continuing resolution. She came to Plattsburgh this morning to talk about the funding.
The continuing resolution passed in September funds the federal government and various programs until the end of December. It includes $1 billion in supplemental funding for LIHEAP. About $60 million will be allocated to New York.
In Plattsburgh, Senator Kirsten Gillibrand said it was critical to boost the funding as cold weather approaches.
"We have heard that heating bills will go up in the North Country by as much as 39 percent. It has to do with the fact that OPEC just decided that they are going to reduce the number of barrels they are producing every day intentionally to raise our heating and oil costs," said Gillibrand. "So we want to make sure that the federal government responds accordingly. I have been working on this issue for a while and I wrote a letter with a number of Senators asking that we can increase the number of, or the amount of money that we have for LIHEAP. We got $1 billion extra to fund LIHEAP this winter, $60 million of that will come to New York State.”
Gillibrand noted that eligible households can begin applying for assistance on November 1st.
“That is relief for families who really are making these tough choices about heating your home, putting food on the table, buying your medications. And those are decisions that no family should have to make. This LIHEAP money could help families defray costs by as much as 40 percent of their heating bill. I’m optimistic that with the help of these local elected leaders that people who need this kind of assistance will apply for it and get some of the relief that they need.”
Gillibrand noted that regional allocations have yet to be determined.
“I think it’ll be based on who applies for more money.”
Clinton County Social Services Deputy Commissioner Rich Holcomb said thousands of people are in critical need of LIHEAP assistance.
“I’d just like to kind of indicate the importance of the increase in HEAP funding. Last year at the Department of Social Services we helped over 7,000 families with their heating, utility needs and we had 4,200 people that needed emergency assistance. In addition to that we saw $9.6 million spent in the North Country," recalls Holcomb. "So the additional funding truly is going to be beneficial to the folks and nobody should have to choose between food, medicine and heat.”
Households can apply at myBenefits.ny.gov or in person at local LIHEAP district offices. In Clinton County that is the Department of Social Services.
According to the office of Democratic Vermont Senator Patrick Leahy, chair of the Appropriations Committee, more than 6 million low-income households nationally rely on LIHEAP to help defray energy costs.
