New Yorkers can now begin applying for heating assistance through the Home Energy Assistance Program to help defray the high cost of heating their homes during the winter, Gov. Kathy Hochul announced this week. The program, known as HEAP, can provide up to $996 to eligible households, depending on how they heat their home.
The program, overseen by the Office of Temporary and Disability Assistance (OTDA), is 100% federally funded. The opening of the HEAP application period was pushed back a month by the federal government shutdown at a time when temperatures began to drop.
Many households automatically receive a HEAP payment due to their enrollment in other programs. OTDA prepared those automatic payments ahead of time and these households can now be assured that a HEAP payment will soon be made to their heat supplier without needing to apply or take any additional action, Hochul said…