Heat cost anxiety runs high

Belmont General Assistance Director Director Donna Cilley looked around at her peers and put it all on the table. It's not even August and her community has already overspent its heating assistance budget allocation by $6,400. "We're seeing more seniors, more in the middle class," she said. "It's pretty scary. Individuals that would never, ever speak out are coming to us for help." Cilley and her community are not alone. As the cost of heating oil tops the $5-per-gallon mark and many Lakes Region residents wonder how they'll heat their homes this winter, state Sen. Kathy Sgambati brought Cilley and other state and local officials together Monday at the Lakes Region Community College in Laconia."It's the larger community that needs to come together and help each other," said Sgambati who said her office has been reaching out to first responders, shelters, preparedness workers, and other agencies to assess their needs and see if there are adequate resources. While there are a variety of heating assistance programs available to New Hampshire residents, the federal Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) provided $25 million in direct energy assistance last year as well as $1.35 million in Federal Low Income Weatherization programs. "The problem is this money only reached about 33 percent of the people who need help," said Sgambati."Understand, this money is minimal, at best," said Judy Scothorne the community service director of the Belknap-Merrimack Counties Community Action Program. "Last year, the average benefit was $300 per family. Now that's not enough to even get a minimum delivery." Gaps in the federal block grant coverage are met with a variety of different programs including community funding, like the statewide electric Efficiency Program (E.E.), the natural Gas Efficiency program, the Low Income Electric Assistance Program (EAP), the Gas Low Income Assistance Program, and N.H. Electric Coop Renewable Energy Incentives.
These programs are jointly administered and funded by the electric and utility companies and are administered by Community Action Programs or individually with CAP assistance and provided $36.7 million in assistance to New Hampshire residents. The final stopgap is the local programs like those managed by Cilley and Laconia Finance Officer Pamela Reynolds who was at Monday's meeting and manages a $140,000 total fund for relief for city residents.Reynolds said most of the people she sees are under 40 who live in rental properties where heat is not included in the rent. "One of the biggest challenges I face is getting gas companies to turn back on the heat when the people are in arrears," said Reynolds who also said she is seeing more people from the "middle income" brackets than before. Sgambati said she was particularly disheartened to hear that much fuel assistance goes to pay account arrears, but understands that oil and gas suppliers need to get paid as well. "These small business can't handle $100,000 in receivables and stay in business," said Sgambati. While the problems are many and the resources are few, one thing all participants stressed is for people to be aware of the available programs and to apply for them. "This isn't welfare. this is your tax dollars coming back to help you," said Scothorne. "If we don't know you need help we can't help you."