New York – October 14, 2015 – (RealEstateRama) — Standing at Tioga Opportunities Inc. in Owego, U.S. Senator Charles E. Schumer today urged the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to immediately provide New York the maximum amount of funding for the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP).
“For hundreds of thousands of New Yorkers who struggle to heat their homes, many of whom are seniors on fixed budgets, LIHEAP is a critical resource that helps offset the rising cost of heat and energy bills.
“That is why I am urging HHS to release LIHEAP funds at the highest amount possible, and as soon as possible. Doing so will help those in Tioga, Broome, Tompkins and other Southern Tier households, from Harpursville to Waverly, pay their bills on time and ensure we do not turn a cold shoulder to our most vulnerable residents during an already harsh winter.”
The majority of LIHEAP recipients fall well below that threshold. Hundreds of thousands of New Yorkers, particularly many senior citizens living on a fixed income, benefit from the program each and every year. Schumer said that because most LIHEAP funds are intended to aid seniors, families with a disabled member and families with children under the age of six, home heating aid is a significant health issue as well as an economic one. Roughly 40 percent of households served by LIHEAP include an adult aged 60 or over as well.
The Binghamton and Greater Southern Tier Region as a whole relies on LIHEAP funds for low-income households and seniors each year. During last year’s LIHEAP allocation season, which ran from October 1, 2014 through September 30, 2015, approximately 6,578 households received regular LIHEAP benefits in Tioga County; approximately 1,348 households received emergency benefits. In the 2014-2015 season, 5,711 households in Tompkins County received regular LIHEAP funds; approximately 1,044 received emergency LIHEAP benefits. More…
