SANDUSKY COUNTY, Ohio — The holidays are behind us, but the rest of winter is still ahead, which means a higher heating bill.
Great Lakes Community Action Partnership is offering multiple assistance programs for people needing help paying their heating bills.
Residents in Wood, Seneca, Sandusky and Ottawa counties can qualify either for a Percentage of Income Payment Plan to lower your bill or two versions of Home Energy Assistance Program paid for with federal grants.
HEAP offers a one-time-per-year credit to help pay for heating utilities and the Emergency HEAP program is for those who were recently informed their gas would soon be turned off.
To qualify for the emergency program, your income must be at or below 175% of the Federal Poverty guidelines.
And, if your utility is about to be turned off, the disconnection process will be stopped once you schedule your appointment to sign up for HEAP.
"Call our hot line, make an appointment. Because when you make an appointment, we can put a hold on that disconnect notice. It does usually take a couple weeks to get into our offices. Everything right now, due to COVID, is done over the phone," said Joyce McCauley-Benner, energy assistant specialist at GLCAP.
The Emergency Home Energy Assistance Program is available through March, while the standard HEAP program is open through May.