It’s the busiest time of the year for the Community Services Staff. They have just completed Subsidy Component LIHEAP Subsidy, worked with other service organizations for a successful Christmas Assistance Program and prepared the second quarter CSBG Service and ROMA reports. On January 6th, the LIHEAP Crisis program began.
The LIHEAP Subsidy program assisted 3523 families with home heating assistance, in the amount of $487,334.00, in our 8 county service area. This program began on October 7th, 2019 for pre-registration, and ran through Dec. 20th, 2019. The program proceeded smoothly thanks to the hard work of our dedicated staff members. The number of applicants was up for our agency. The Central Office continues to work to pay all of the vendors and balance the program.
CSBG is in the process of completing the annual Needs Assessment process. An email link has been emailed to the Board of Directors for their input. This survey information will be entered into a database for accurate compilation. The results of the Needs Assessment Survey will determine the work plan for the next program year. The information will also be available to other programs and to the community.
The Wintercare Program is available to families for utility assistance. These funds are donated by utility customers as they pay their utility bill, and sometimes matched by the utility company. This program is used for families who are over income for LIHEAP, but under 150% of the federal poverty level. These families are often the “working poor” that fall between the cracks in income level eligibility.