GREENE COUNTY — The Ohio Development Services Agency and Community Action Partnership of the Greater Dayton Area including Greene County will help income-eligible Ohioans stay cool during the hot summer months.
The Home Energy Assistance Summer Crisis Program provides eligible Ohioans assistance paying an electric bill or assistance paying for central air conditioning repairs. The program started July 1 and will run until Thursday, August 31.
“July and August can be two extremely hot months in Ohio, and that can take a toll on older Ohioans and Ohioans with breathing conditions,” said David Goodman, director of the Ohio Development Services Agency.
In 2016 more than 236 families in four counties were assisted through the Home Energy Assistance Summer Crisis Program at CAP.
The Summer Crisis Program assists low-income households with an older household member 60 years or older, or households that can provide physician documentation that cooling assistance is needed for a household member’s health. Conditions can include lung disease, Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease, or asthma.
Eligible households can receive up to $300 if they are a customer of a regulated utility, or $500 if they are a customer of unregulated utilities such as electric cooperatives and municipal utilities. The assistance is applied to their utility bill or applied to central air conditioning repair costs. Ohioans must have a gross income at or below 175 percent of the federal poverty guidelines to qualify for assistance. For a family of four the annual income must be at or below $43,050.
Ohioans enrolled in the Percentage of Income Payment Plan Plus Program (PIPP Plus) are not eligible for bill payment assistance through the program, but are encouraged to work with Community Action Partnership of the Greater Dayton Area to identify other opportunities for assistance.
For more information about the features of the Summer Crisis Program locally, contact Community Action Partnership of the Greater Dayton Area at 937-341-5000 or www.capdayton.org/heap/. Additional information can also be found at www.energyhelp.ohio.gov or by calling 800-282-0880.
