Farmingville, NY – Supervisor Mark Lesko is urging all qualified Brookhaven residents to apply for the 2011-2012 Home Energy Assistance Program (HEAP) program. The Suffolk County Office of Aging will begin to process applications on Wednesday, November 16th. Early Outreach Applications were mailed out on August 29th to households who received a benefit for the 2010-2011 HEAP Program. HEAP is a federally funded program that provides heating benefits to supplement a household's annual energy cost. HEAP also provides emergency assistance for households in a heat or heat-related energy emergency, and assists with furnace repairs and/or replacements for households with inoperable heating equipment.

“Winter is just around the corner and the cost of heating a home is getting more expensive every year, so I urge all qualifying residents who need assistance to apply for HEAP,” said Supervisor Lesko. “This program can really make a difference for people who might otherwise have to spend the winter months in a cold and uncomfortable home.”

Applicants who wish to submit a HEAP application to the Suffolk County Office for the Aging must meet one of the following conditions:

• 60 or older, or;
• Under 60 and receiving Social Security Disability, or;
• Under 60 and receiving Supplemental Security Income Code A.

HEAP 2011-2012 INCOME GUIDELINES
Household #                      Max. Monthly Income
1                                        $2,146
2                                        $2,806
3                                        $3,466
4                                        $4,127
5                                        $4,787
6                                        $5,447
7                                        $5,571
8                                        $5,695
9                                        $5,818
10                                      $5,942
11                                      $6,136
11 +                                   Add $478

Applicants who do not meet the above mentioned criteria may contact the Suffolk County Department of Social Services (DSS) HEAP Unit at 631-853-8825. For information concerning heating and utility emergencies, please call one of the following DSS Fuel Centers:

Riverhead: Emergency Energy and Utility Site: 631-852-3631
Ronkonkoma: Emergency Energy and Utility Site: 631-854-9308
South West Emergency: Energy and Utility Site: 631-854-6684

For heating and utility emergencies after business hours and on weekends, please call the Suffolk County Department of Social Services at 631-854-9100.

Division of Public Information * Office of the Supervisor
One Independence Hill • Farmingville • NY 11738 • Phone (631) 451-6595 • Fax (631) 451-6258