Giving The Gift Of Warmth

Waterford just became a warmer place to live.

This week, the federal government gave another $36 million to Connecticut for heating assistance, for a total of $95.75 million this fiscal year. Gov. Dannel P. Malloy immediately praised the move, as the state was quickly running out of money.

 “This funding is coming at a critical time, on the heels of a record-breaking winter storm and dropping temperatures,” Malloy said. “With this assistance, low-income, elderly and other vulnerable households are less likely to have to choose between paying energy bills and other necessities.”

Local officials praised the move as well, both for seniors and the poor who rely on heating assistance.

The Elderly

Seniors in Waterford apply to Waterford Senior Services for heating assistance, which forwards the applications to Thames Valley Council for Community Action.

“We had a feeling money was getting tight,” said Ellen Fougere, assistant director of Waterford Senior Services. “People kept calling, worrying that they were not going to receive their heating assistance.”

About 160 seniors are served each year by Waterford, a stable number even given the recession, Fougere said. Many of the seniors have relied on heating assistance for years, she said.

“They have come to depend on it,” Fougere said. “Not having it would be devastating.”

First, people who use oil heat will get assistance on oil deliveries, she said. Then, people who rely on electric heat (common in several senior housing units in town) will receive funding, which doesn’t come until May, she said.

“People who get help with the electric heat were calling, afraid their assistance would not come,” she said. “Hopefully this will ease their concerns.”

The amount of energy assistance varies depending on income, Fougere said.

The Poor

While the number of elderly people in Waterford needing heating assistance has stayed flat, the number of poor people needing the benefit has skyrocketed, according to Deborah Monahan, executive director of TVCCA.

In 2008, the group helped 750 families, a common number throughout the decade. However, that number jumped to 1,000 families in 2009, and has stayed constant, she said.

"I don't know who came up with this idea that the recession is over,” Monahan said. “We haven’t seen anything yet."

The group is in need of money, because the people who need help are in need for money, she said.

"Most people come in for food and oil," Monahan said. "It is hard to turn somebody away when they need food or oil."

Any amount of money will help, she said. Budgets have been tighter and tighter each year, with fewer and fewer people and organizations able to give, she said.

For information about the Connecticut Energy Assistance Program, families and individuals can visit www.ct.gov/staywarm or call the Infoline at 2-1-1.