By CARRIE STAMBAUGH
ASHLAND — In a single day this week more than 1,400 area families at risk of running out of their home heating fuel source or having service terminated were given assistance by the Northeast Kentucky Community Action Agency.
On Monday, the first day of the crisis portion of the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program, or LIHEAP, paid $432,942 in home heating bills for 1,474 families in Boyd, Carter, Eilliott, Greenup and Lawrence counties. The pace continued into the second day, with an additional 1,016 families seeking assistance of $268,136.
LIHEAP’s crisis phase runs through March 31 or until all funds are spent. According to program director Karen Mosier, Northeast secured $1.9 million in crisis program funding this year.
The program is designed to help those unable to pay their winter heating bills or who are facing fuel shortages or shut-off notices. It is administered through a contract with the state Cabinet for Health and Family Services.
Northeast’s Director David Carroll called the statistics “almost unrealistic numbers for one day of the heating assistance program.” He attributed the number of families needing crisis help this year to the “hard economic times.”
Mosier said the agency has helped more families in two days than ever before and she is concerned the agency will run out of funds quickly.
“Most people, especially on electric, they just can’t pay their bills. It’s worse now so many people are out of work and everything else is so expensive,” she said.
Families using all types of fuels are struggling, Mosier said, and have come to Northeast’s office seeking assistance.
“It’s pretty mixed up. It’s just everything from the kerosene to the wood and the coal,” she said. “We’re just encouraging everyone to come in while we still do have money, a lot of people wait until we run out of money to come in.”
To be eligible for assistance, a household must be in a heating crisis, which Northeast defines as:
‰A household using bulk fuel — coal, fuel oil, propane, kerosene or wood — as its heat source and is within four days of running out of fuel.
‰A household using natural gas or electricity for heat and has received a past due/disconnect notice.
‰A household’s home heating costs are included as an undesignated portion of the rent and an eviction notice has been received for nonpayment of rent.
Also, family income must be at or below 130 percent of the federal poverty guideline. That is $1,517 gross a month for a family of two; $1,907 for a family of three; $2,297 for a family of four; and increasing by increments of about $300 thereafter.
Verification of a crisis situation must be presented when application is made. For bulk fuels — wood, coal, propane, fuel oil, kerosene — an applicant may self-declare a crisis. For natural gas and electric heat, the applicant must present a past-due or disconnect notice.
Applicants also should be aware that Northeast staff members may perform on-site verification on a limited number of households.
Mosier said families are eligible for different amounts of assistance depending on their heat source. For families with natural gas and electric heat they can receive up to $400 in assistance. Families with propane can receive up to 200 gallons of propane and families with coal and wood heat sources are also eligible for assistance more than one time if funds are available.
For more information about LIHEAP, call Northeast at (800) 817-4443; or call county offices at (606) 474-8118 in Grayson, (606) 286-4443 in Olive Hill, (606) 324-8617 in Boyd, (606) 738-6577 in Elliott, (606) 473-9873 in Greenup and (606) 638-4067 in Lawrence.
CARRIE STAMBAUGH can be reached at cstambaugh@dailyindependent.com or (606) 326-2653.
Single-day assistance by LIHEAP on Monday:
County Households Funds
Boyd 162 $36,641
Carter 691 $198,808
Elliott 227 $74,910
Greenup 225 $77,304
Lawrence 169 $45,279
TOTAL 1,474 $432,942
