FOCUS: a real safety net of help

The New York State Home Energy Assistance Program (HEAP) is designed to help low-income families and seniors reduce the cost of home heating this winter. Unfortunately, some people find the application process daunting. They can find help in Flushing, at the FOCUS Community Center.
The group - whose name is an acronym for “Friends of the Community Unite and Serve,” has helped more than 300 local residents with the application process since November 1, according to co-founder Grace Meng.
“The HEAP program has been instrumental in helping our families and seniors face the expensive costs of home heating, and our community should take advantage of it,” Meng said.
This year, the income eligibility thresholds were raised, in order increase the number of families and seniors who can become eligible for HEAP financial aid.
According to figures supplied by the group, under current guidelines, a single person with a monthly income of $1,876 qualifies for assistance.
Two-person households qualify if their gross income is $2,454 or less. A sliding-scale formula raises the maximum allowable income for each household member.
The free service is available from Mondays through Thursdays, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the group’s headquarters, located on the third floor at 135-29 Roosevelt Avenue in Flushing.
Applicants need to bring proof-of-gross-income for all household members, such as pay stubs, or proofs from Social Security, Unemployment Insurance, pension plans, etc.; rent receipt, lease or deed; Social Security numbers and birthdates for all household members; copies of utility bills and any statements showing interest income no matter how small, according to Meng, who is an attorney.
New York’s program provides higher benefits to those households that have larger percentages of their income spent on energy costs, contain a vulnerable individual, and have the lowest income. Vulnerable individuals are defined as children under the age of six, adults aged 60 or older, or disabled individuals.
Generally, according to FOCUS, the applicant must either pay directly for heating costs or must pay rent that includes heating costs. If you live in subsidized housing, you must pay heating costs separately from your rent.
Individual applicants must be U.S. citizens or qualified aliens, and the deadline for the HEAP program is usually around early March of each season.
Information on the HEAP program and an application for the program can be found by logging onto www.otda.state.ny.us or www.nyc.gov/aging or by calling the NYS HEAP hotline at 800-342-3009.
Anyone who has ever filled out a state form on their own knows that having someone familiar with the process is always a heap of help.