Liberty, NY – Worried about suffering in the heat this summer? Sullivan County’s HEAP (Home Energy Assistance Program) Office will begin accepting Cooling Benefit applications on Monday, May 1, continuing until funds run out.
The Cooling Benefit can provide eligible applicants with an air conditioner in a room in their home if they suffer from a medical condition that is made worse by extreme heat.
Households that have received any kind of HEAP benefit of $21 or higher in this past season are eligible to apply for Cooling over the phone: 845-807-0142. If a household has not received a HEAP benefit in this past season, they must complete a full HEAP application – available at the Department of Social Services in Liberty or the Office for the Aging in Monticello. The HEAP Office can also mail printed applications to people by request.
To receive a Cooling Benefit, you must be income-eligible, you cannot have a working air conditioner already in the home that is less than five years old, and you must have a documentable medical condition. (If an applying household has a member that is over the age of 60 or under the age of 6, documentation of a medical condition is not necessary.)
The State is urging clients to apply as soon as possible due to limited funding. Air-conditioners will be provided on a first-come, first-served basis, and the program will end when funds are exhausted.
If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to call a HEAP staff member at 845-807-0142, prompt 2. Any requested documents can be faxed to 845-292-4651 or emailed to HEAP@sullivanny.us.