On June 26, the Heating Assistance Program (HAP) issued supplement payments to vendors for every household that received heating assistance this past winter. These supplements were made possible thanks to the legislators who authorized $9 million in heating assistance this past legislative session. These payments will allow households to pay down any balances they have from this past winter and/or prepare for the coming season. Some households will even be able to start the winter with oil in their tanks. Notices were sent to households and vendors informing them of the amount of the award.
This has been a very busy year for the Heating Assistance Program. We received 15,543 applications, a 38 percent increase from last year. To date, $30,791,604 in benefits have been awarded to 12,414 households through the LIHEAP and Alaska Heating Assistance Programs. HAP staff have an additional 913 applications to process. The nine tribal organizations that also administer heating assistance programs have reported more applicants as well. Increased participation in the program can be attributed to the introduction of the Alaska Heating Assistance Program for households with incomes up to 225% of the poverty income guidelines; higher energy prices; a longer, colder heating season; and increased outreach.
HAP ET’s prevented utility shut-offs or facilitated reconnections for 1,882 households this past winter, almost 300 more households than previous years. That figure could have been much higher, but many vendors worked with HAP staff to keep people’s heat on while they waited for the unit to process benefits.
A special thank you is extended to everyone who helped with this year’s program. Our team worked long days and weekends to serve the residents of our state. We could not, however, have made it through the season without the help we received from the Juneau and Ketchikan district offices, Central Office staff, and our other field offices that went the extra mile to assist clients and provide our staff with the essential information we needed to process the applications.
The Heating Assistance Program will reopen in October of 2009.
Susan Marshall
Heating Assistance Program Coordinator