Published: November 28, 2008 10:41 pm      

LIHEAP ready to help

Officials say agency on track to equal previous years aid

ASHLAND — Officials with the Northeast Kentucky Community Action Agency say they are on track to help as many families with heating subsidies as last year.

Karen Mosier, director of the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program, said the agency had already assisted 5,419 families in the Boyd, Carter, Greenup, Elliott and Lawrence counties with heat bills two weeks before the agency stops taking applications for the one-time subsidy. Mosier said the agency has paid more than $857,900 in subsidies directly to energy companies on behalf of the families.

Subsidies for families with an income level between 0 and 33 percent range from $182 for families with electric heat to $206 for those with natural gas.

In Boyd County, 852 families have been given $109,911 in subsidies so far. Of the five counties, Carter County has the largest number of needy residents with 2,009 families receiving $329,648 in subsidies. Lawrence County followed with 971 families receiving $161,451 in subsidies. Greenup County had 878 families receiving $139,662 in subsidies and 709 Elliott County families received $117,257 in subsidies.

Many of the families that have received assistance have never asked for help before, Mosier said.

“We’ve had a lot of new people come out. The thing of it is, I think the reason more people are needing help is everything else costs more. Everything else has gone up,” she said.

Mosier said she expects returning and first-time families to be asking for help during the crisis phase — especially if the winter is particularly cold.

“Utility bills are already high,” she said. “I really think it will get worse. I think the crisis will be really bad.”

Mosier said she is unsure how many families the agency will be able to help.

“As of now we don’t know how much money we will have for the crisis phase. We haven’t been given an amount,” she said.

The crisis phase runs between Jan. 5 and March 31 and assists families who are at risk of having their service discontinued or of running out of a heat source.

Funding for LIHEAP originates with the federal government but is administered on the state level through agencies such as the Northeast Community Action Agency.

CARRIE STAMBAUGH can be reached at cstambaugh@dailyindependent.com or (606) 326-2653.