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Emergency Heating Assistance Now Available for Ohioans
By: Associated Press
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COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) – Ohioans needing emergency heating-assistance as winter approaches can turn to a state program that will run through the end of March.
The Winter Crisis Program started taking applications from Ohio residents this week. The program is part of the Home Energy Assistance Program, commonly known as HEAP.
The Columbus Dispatch reports that the program provided help last winter to more than 130,000 Ohioans. A spokeswoman for the Ohio Development Services Agency says that number dropped from the previous winter when extreme weather drove the number up to nearly 150,000 households.
The income-based program generally provides one-time payments of $175 toward a utility bill if service is threatened with disconnection or has been shut off. It also provides payments if service is threatened because it is new or being transferred.