After Shutdown Delay, New York Opens Applications for Annual Heating Assistance Program
After a month-long delay caused by the federal government shutdown, New York households can now apply with the state for a subsidy to help them pay their winter heating bills.
New York opened applications Monday for the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program, or HEAP, which runs every winter and provides both emergency and one-time payments toward utility bills or the cost of fuel delivery. Eligibility is based on household size, income (a four person family, for example, must earn below $80,160 a year to qualify), and other factors.
Assistance is doled out on a first-come, first-serve basis until the federal money that funds the program runs out. Applications usually open in November, but were delayed for several weeks this fall because of the federal government shutdown—to the condemnation of local leaders, who point to an increasing number of New Yorkers who are struggling to afford their utility costs.
What's ahead this week in housing: The NYC Council’s Committee on General Welfare will hold an oversight hearing Wednesday on the city’s housing voucher program, CityFHEPS.
