Linda Pellegrino says this is the time of year where we talk about giving and a lot of people really want to celebrate the holidays and you want people over, but it is also a stressful time because people are being pulled in a lot of different directions and let’s face it, there is only so much of their money to go around. She says a lot of people are struggling with COVID and a lot of people have seen their income change and unfortunately, what happens is a lot of people get behind on their heating bills.
Linda says so far, we have been lucky; it hasn’t been super cold in Buffalo, but we know it’s coming, and you don’t want to get behind now on a heating bill. She says Erie County Senior Services has a program that can help so many people. The program is called HEAP or home energy assistance program and with HEAP, they can apply to Erie County Senior Services and see if they qualify to get the benefits where HEAP actually helps them pay their energy bills.
Linda says if you know someone who may need this and they don’t speak English, they can still accommodate you in many languages. When you go to apply, they will have special different languages for you and she says they even have large print, if you are having an issue seeing, you should be able to fill it out.
If you would like to attend an outreach event or to be contacted virtually, go to heapoutreach@erie.gov
Heap hotline: 716-858-7644
