The Erie County Legislature announces that Home Energy Assistance Program (HEAP) Outreaches will be held throughout the county to assistance residents in need this year. Attendees do not have to live in the specific town/village/city hosting the outreach to attend.

Interviews will begin at 9 a.m. and continue until 4 p.m. Doors open at 8:30am.  All applicants will be interviewed. 

HEAP is a federally funded program to assist income eligible Erie County residents with the costs of home heating, electricity, and energy conservation. The HEAP outreach will be administered by the Erie County Departments of Social Services and Senior Services and is open to all income eligible households.

Legislator Edward Rath will host HEAP Outreaches on the following dates:

• Monday, Dec. 8 at Amherst Senior Center, 370 John James Audubon Parkway, Amherst
• Tuesday, Jan. 6 at Newstead Public Library, 33 Main St., Akron ** Time is 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. due to library hours
• Wednesday, Feb. 11 at Clarence Town Hall, 1 Town Place, Clarence

Legislator John Mills will host HEAP Outreaches on the following dates:

• Tuesday, Dec. 9 at Evans Town Hall, in the Courtroom, 8787 Erie Road, Angola
• Monday, Feb. 2 at Concord Town Hall, in the Auditorium, 86 Franklin St., Springville
• Thursday, Feb. 26 at Eden Town Hall, 2795 East Church St., Eden

Legislator Lynne Dixon will host HEAP Outreaches on the following dates:

• Wednesday, Dec. 10 at the Hamburg Senior Center, 4540 Southwestern Blvd., Hamburg
• Tuesday, Dec. 30 at the Lackawanna Public Library, 560 Ridge Road, Lackawanna ** Time is 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. due to library hours
• Wednesday, Feb. 4  at the Lackawanna Senior Center, 230 Martin Road, Lackawanna

Legislator Ted Morton will host HEAP Outreaches on the following dates:

• Monday, Dec. 15 at Lancaster Town Hall, 21 Central Ave., Lancaster
• Thursday, Feb. 5 at Southline Fire Hall, 1049 French Road, Cheektowaga 

Legislator Joseph Lorigo will host HEAP Outreaches on the following dates:

• Thursday, Dec. 18  at the West Seneca Senior Center, 4620 Seneca St, West Seneca
• Tuesday, Feb. 3 at the Aurora Senior Citizens Center, 101 King St, East Aurora

(Additional dates will be announced soon)

Applicants must bring the following documentation to the outreach:

1)     Proof of gross income received within the last 30 days for all household members

a)  Wages: If paid weekly, last four (4) paystubs

b)  Wages: If paid bi-weekly, last two (2) paystubs

c)   Award letters, if applicable (Social Security, Pension, Unemployment, Workers Comp, Disability, etc.)

d) Yearly statement of interest received (savings, checking, CDs, money market account, etc.)

e) Dividend proof (stocks, bonds securities, etc.)

2) Social Security numbers for all household members

3) One (1) form of ID for all household members (birth certificate or Social Security card or driver’s license or school ID, etc.)

4) Proof of residency (Rent receipt, mortgage statement, utility bill)

5) Current heat and/or electric bill.    

For questions or additional information, please call the HEAP Hotline at (716) 858-7644 or HEAP Application Request Line at (716) 858-1969

Also, Erie County residents can apply online by visiting www.mybenefits.ny.gov.

To download a printable HEAP application, please CLICK HERE.

The HEAP 2014-2015 income guidelines are as follows: