Cutoffs and Pleas for Aid Rise With Heat Costs

[meegbear]

Source: NYTimes.com

After struggling with soaring heating costs through the winter, millions of Americans are behind on electric and gas bills, and a record number of families could face energy shut-offs over the next two months, according to state energy officials and utilities around the country.

The escalating costs of heating oil, propane and kerosene, most commonly used in the Northeast, have posed the greatest burdens, officials say, but natural gas and electricity prices have also climbed at a time when low-end incomes are stagnant and prices have also jumped for food and gasoline.

In New Hampshire, applicants for fuel subsidies under the federal Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program received an average of $600 in a one-time grant and up to $975 for the extremely poor who rely on heating oil or propane, the costliest fuels. But those grants, which in recent years have covered 60 percent of heating costs, covered only about 35 percent of those costs this winter, said Celeste Lovett, director of the state’s energy aid program. The state will have given aid to about 34,500 people by the end of April, Ms. Lovett said, a 5 percent increase over last year and the highest number ever.

The most immediate challenge is to help the high number of consumers who are far behind in electric and gas payments, said Mark Wolfe, director of the National Energy Assistance Directors’ Association, which represents state aid officials in Washington.

Read more: http://www.nytimes.com/2008/04/25/us/25heating.html?ei=5065&en=e4a4e538897fcb65&ex=1209787200&partner=MYWAY&pagewanted=print

[fight4my3sons]

1. Applications are taken until April 30th

then they won't take them again until Sept. We applied back in Jan, but since they take the last three months paycheck and my husband had been working two jobs in the fall we did not qualify. We got a call from the office asking if we still needed assistance and applied at the beginning of this month and we qualified. For a family of five we had to come under $9040 for three months. We just got our letter saying that our benefit amount is $644. They send the benefit amount to our oil company and then we call to set up a delivery. we have never received LIHEAP before so I am not sure if we have to fill the tank and then pay the difference or if they just deliver the benefit amount. We are very grateful for the assistance as this was a great source of stress in our lives. We just found out this morning that our medical insurance (my husband's job) is doubling in July. I'm not sure how we are going to afford things when that happens.

[SpiralHawk]

2. "I'm toasty in the White House. Don't see a problem." - Commander AWOL

"So why don't all you noisy proles just withdraw a couple of grand from your Swiss Bank Accounts to pay these bills off. That's what we 'elite' republicon homelanders do. In the meantime, please enjoy a generous dose of ADVICE from the Treasure Trove of our patented republicon Conservative Compassion: shut the fuck up and sit down. Smirk."

- Commander AWOL

[Stuart G]

3. Very sad indeed. This country is fucked...It is so bad that many of

cannot even pay utilities......Like a third world nation........but no, it is just a slow economy.....