Home
>
News
>
Local News
More in need of heating assistance
Officials report number of residents seeking assistance program funds rises.
Hot Topics
By Jessica Heffner,
Staff Writer
Updated 1:37 AM Sunday, January 17, 2010
BUTLER COUNTY — While the area might be experiencing a slight temperature warm-up, you couldn’t tell it by the amount of residents calling about winter heating assistance.
About half-way through January, officials at Butler County’s Supports to Encourage Low Income Families say they are set to break last year’s record high number of residents seeking Emergency Home Energy Assistance Program funds, said Kim Wiegel, community relations coordinator for SELF, which distributes the aid.
Who can apply
About $900,300 from the Ohio Department of Development has been allocated for the utility assistance program, which can be used to cover heating utility bills for one month. According to SELF, residents can only apply for the emergency assistance once and must meet income requirements to be eligible. They must also have already received a disconnect notice.
For Hamilton resident Patty Howard, the heating assistance is a lifeline she depends on each year to survive through the winter. The 72-year-old widow’s social security income is $800 a month, and in the winter, keeping the furnace on eats up half of that money.
“They have really helped me. I never take anything I don’t need, but HEAP is so good,” she said.
So far, 2,240 Butler County households have sought assistance at SELF, compared to 1,916 for the same point last year, Wiegel said.
“I feel like it has been colder than last year and unfortunately it is also the economy,” she said. “Although there are reports of it rebounding, I feel there are a lot of people who aren’t feeling that comfort this year.”
While residents can only apply for E-HEAP funds once a year, SELF does offer normal HEAP funds to help pay utility bills. Interested residents should contact the agency at (888) 432-7022 to find out if they qualify.
Weatherization help
There is another program that can help residents struggling with winter heating costs by making home energy upgrades.
The Ohio Home Weatherization Assistance Program is designed to increase the energy efficiency of resident’s homes. The same income requirements for HEAP apply for 
this program. All weatherization measures are free up to $6,500 and range from smaller scale projects like insulating walls, basements, attics, windows and doors to replacing home furnaces, Weigel said.
The Community Action Partnership of the Greater Dayton Area, which provides the weatherization services, expects to assist 1,500 Butler County households through the next two years, said John Bennett, agency spokesman.
Funded through the federal stimulus package, Bennett said there has been a steady stream of residents applying for the program. SELF, through a new partnership announced in September, is helping Community Action process applications. Appointments and home evaluations must be scheduled in advance to receive the assistance.
“More people are applying for this than last year,” Bennett said. “Sometimes there is a bit of a wait, but the stimulus has helped increase what we can do.”
Community Action has been offering weatherization assistance for more than 15 years in Butler County. To apply, residents can call SELF at (888) 432-7022.
Utility assistance
Duke Energy customers can also receive bill payment help through the Percentage of Income Payment Plan. To participate, residents must receive heating service from Duke and have an annual household income 150 percent or less than the federal poverty level.
Through PIPP, natural gas customers will pay 10 percent of their gross monthly household income, each month, all year, toward their utility bill. Electric customers pay in installments of 15 percent of their gross income from Nov. 1 through April 15.
Residents must go through the weatherization program to be considered for PIPP, according to Duke officials.
For more information about the program, call (800) 282-0880.
“More people are applying for this than last year. 
Sometimes there is a bit of a wait, but the stimulus has helped increase what we can do.”
John Bennett
Spokesman, Community Action Partnership of the Greater Dayton Area
Share this article
Breaking news by e-mail
Start your day with top headlines in your inbox and get breaking news e-mail alerts at any time by subscribing to our Headlines e-mail newsletter.
See Sample | Privacy PolicyView All
Top Jobs
 |
 |
Lastest news blog posts
About our ads
About our adsCopyright © Fri Sep 03 11:59:52 EDT 2010 Oxford Press, Oxford, Ohio, USA.All rights reserved.
By using this site, you accept the terms of our Visitors Agreement and Privacy Policy. About our ads. You may wish to note our other business policies.
But on another subject our government needs to stay out of other countries and help its own FIRST and FORMOST.
4:53 PM, 1/18/2010
Hamilton has has no meter readers. All meters are read via a automated meter reading (AMR) system with a drive by truck. This sytem is 70% cheaper than Duke's - no union meter readers in Hamilton anymore! This is part of the reason Hamilton's utilities are 30% cheaper than mine here with Duke. Get your facts straight! I will trade you utilities any time you ask smart guy!
2:43 PM, 1/18/2010
9:13 AM, 1/18/2010
Bush allowed 2,975 Americans to die due to the September 11, 2001 attacks because he chose to take a record number of vacations while ignoring a briefing entitled "Bin Laden determined to strike in US" on August 6, 2001. If you supported the Bush administration and Republican Party, what does that really say about you?
You want to read it? Here it is:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dy...
7:49 AM, 1/18/2010
10:41 PM, 1/17/2010