Home Energy Assistance Topped $400 Million This Winter

Record Number of New York Households Receive Benefits

Albany, NY – June 1, 2009 – (RealEstateRama) — The State Office of Temporary and Disability Assistance (OTDA) announced today that a record number of families throughout New York State were served through the Home Energy Assistance Program (HEAP) this past winter, based on applications received prior to the recent closing date for the program.

OTDA Commissioner David A. Hansell said that the total number of HEAP benefits issued during the 2008-09 HEAP season, which officially concluded on May 15, grew by one-third over the previous year to nearly 1.5 million, bringing more than $400 million to New York families. That total, already a record high, will grow as applications submitted in the final week of the HEAP season are still being processed.

“Thanks to Governor Paterson’s leadership, we were well-positioned to respond to a record number of requests for assistance in these difficult economic times,” Commissioner Hansell said. “In the fall, we expanded access to the program by increasing the income eligibility levels, while also significantly increasing the amount of assistance a household could receive. Those steps enabled us to successfully help a record number of New Yorkers cover the cost of heating their homes this winter, while freeing up their limited resources for other family needs.”

The 2008-09 total includes nearly 200,000 $1 benefits issued to households that don’t pay directly for heat. By receiving the modest, one-time grant, those households qualified for a higher monthly food stamp benefit. Not including those benefits, the total still increased nearly 17 percent over 2007-08. Previously, the most HEAP benefits the State had issued in a single winter was 1.14 million in 2005-06.

In the face of record-high energy prices and an economic recession, OTDA, the agency responsible for administering HEAP in New York, implemented changes last fall that allowed New York’s most vulnerable residents to receive as much as $2,500 in aid this past winter. The income eligibility for regular HEAP benefits was increased so that a family of four earning $45,312 could qualify for assistance. Additionally, taking advantage of a one-time federal authorization, OTDA increased the income eligibility for HEAP emergency benefits from 60 percent to 75 percent of the state’s median income, which is $56,635 for a family of four. Nearly 8,500 families received emergency assistance as a result of that provision.

Commissioner Hansell urged Congress to fully fund the HEAP program for next winter, and to provide continued authorization for expanded eligibility for emergency benefits. “As more and more families continue to rely on HEAP assistance to get through the winter months, we need a sustained federal commitment to keep the most vulnerable in our State warm next winter, if we are to continue to reach all those in need,” said Hansell.

Total HEAP Benefits Issued