The Ross County Community Action Committee and Ohio Development Services Agency 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 runs from July 1 until August 31, 2017.
In 2016 more than 500 families in Ross County were assisted through the Home Energy Assistance Summer Crisis Program. 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 members 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 Ross County Community Action to identify other opportunities for assistance.
For more information about the features of the Summer Crisis Program locally, contact Ross County Community Action at (740) 702-7222. Additional information can also be found at www.energyhelp.ohio.gov or by calling (800) 282-0880.