FREE Cooling Assistance Benefit Opened on April 15
HEAP has opened its Cooling Assistance Benefit Program, which offers a free air conditioner of fan to eligible households, if they qualify based on the following:
You must meet one or more of the criteria in Section A, PLUS one or more of the criteria in Section B, PLUS all criteria in Section C
Section A
- Your household’s gross monthly income is at or below the current income guidelines for your household size as posted in the following table, or
- You receive Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits, or
- You receive Temporary Assistance (TA), or
- You receive Code A Supplemental Security Income (SSI Living Alone), or
- You received a Regular benefit greater than $21 in the current program year or received a Regular benefit equal to $21 during the current program year and reside in government subsidized housing with heat included in your rent
Section B
- Your household contains at least one individual with a documented medical condition that is exacerbated by extreme heat, or
- Your household contains a vulnerable member based on their age (60 years or older, or under age 6) which meet all other component eligibility criteria
Section C
- A member of your household is a United States Citizen or Qualified Non-Citizen
- You currently do not have a working air conditioner or the air conditioner you have is five years old or older
- You did not receive a HEAP funded air conditioner within the past five years
Anyone who qualifies may fill out an application at your local Department of Social Services.