Erie County Home Energy Assistance Program opens Nov. 1

Friday is first day for applications; residents encouraged to apply online

Submitted by the Press Secretary to the County Executive

The Erie County Department of Social Services announced applications for Home Energy Assistance Program (HEAP) regular benefits will be accepted beginning Friday, Nov. 1. The DSS is strongly encouraging applicants to apply online or to utilize remote channels to apply. As in previous years, interested applicants are encouraged to apply sooner rather than later.

“Energy costs remain high, and we expect a busy HEAP season. We are urging residents with heat service currently on and without a shutoff notice to file HEAP applications online at www.mybenefits.ny.gov, by emailing [email protected] to request an application, or by calling the HEAP phone center at 858-7644,” said Daniel Szewc, DSS executive director. “We are scheduling community outreach events to assist Erie County residents with completing HEAP applications.”

To set up a HEAP outreach event for your group or organization, contact our outreach staff at [email protected]. All outreach events will be included on the 2024-25 HEAP outreach calendar located on the Erie County Social Services website.

HEAP is a federally funded energy program, intended to assist low-income households in meeting home energy needs and decrease energy costs. Regular benefits are available to households paying separately for heat and to households whose heat is included in their rental amount. Last program year, over 118,000 HEAP benefits were authorized to Erie County households.

Regular HEAP eligibility and benefits are based on income, household size, primary heating source, and the presence of a vulnerable household member who is under age 6, age 60 or older, or permanently disabled. An eligible household may receive one regular HEAP benefit per program year. It is important to note that HEAP benefit eligibility is based on the last 30 days of household gross income from the date of application. HEAP benefit amounts begin at $21 and are designed to help households reduce their energy costs.

Households currently receiving Temporary Assistance and/or Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (“SNAP”) benefits may qualify for an automatic regular HEAP benefit and may not be required to file a separate application. Households may ascertain whether an application is required by calling the HEAP hotline at 716-858-7644

In order to qualify for a regular HEAP benefit, the members of the household must be citizens of the U.S. or qualified non-citizens with gross monthly income at or below the amount per household size listed in the table below: 

The heating equipment repair and replacement benefit component, available to help eligible low-income homeowners repair or replace furnaces, boilers and other direct heating equipment necessary to keep the home’s primary heating source functional, is open and accepting applications. In addition to the regular benefit program, HEAP is scheduled to open the emergency benefit program on Jan. 2, 2025. This program would provide additional HEAP benefit assistance for folks with disconnect and shutoff situations.

For more information on the Erie County Department of Social Services, visit http://www.erie.gov/socialservices/; on the Erie County DSS Home Energy Assistance Program, visit http://www.erie.gov/heap/. Information on how to apply for HEAP benefits is available here.