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Tuesday, Nov. 03, 2009

Many expected to seek help with their heating bills

With people still struggling during the nation’s economic crisis, the Bibb County Economic Opportunity Council is expecting the number of requests for help this year with heating bills to match last year’s numbers.

Sarita Hill, director of operations/administration for the EOC, said nearly 500 people already had contacted the office Monday, the first day to request help from the county with heating bills.

Last year, Bibb County aided some 5,200 households — about 24,000 people — with their heating bills after the recession hit. In previous years, Hill said, the agency typically has helped about 2,500 households.

“It will stay about the same,” she said. “We have about the same amount of money as last year.”

The agency got a $1.7 million grant from the federal Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program.

The EOC is only accepting applications from the elderly (those 65 or older), homebound individuals and people in life-threatening crises. Households that need assistance but don’t fall into one or more of those groups will be able to sign up Dec. 1 to receive assistance.

The agency is encouraging people to call (478) 750-8689 or (478) 330-6272 before visiting the office.

To qualify for the program, individuals must have a household income that’s less than or equal to 60 percent of the state’s median income.

For a one-person household, that would amount to an income of $21,458 or less. The income amount increases proportionally to the size of the household, with a nine-person household qualifying with a total income of $58,185 or less.

The EOC will start meeting Friday with the elderly, homebound and people in life-threatening crises. Those meetings will be at the Buck Melton Community Center, 150 Sessions Drive, at 7:30 a.m. There will be a second meeting at St. Paul AME Church, 2501 Shurling Drive, on Nov. 14 at 7:30 a.m.

People will need to provide all of the following: Proof of income, Social Security cards for all people in the household, a current bill and a picture ID of the applicant.

To contact writer Phillip Ramati, call 744-4334.