MIDDLETOWN – No one should have to choose between paying a heating bill during the winter or eating, Charles Quinn, CEO of RECAP – the Regional Economic Community Action Program – said on Tuesday while speaking at the Mulberry House, Middletown’s senior citizen center.
With that, RECAP and Orange County officials spread the word that if a family’s income is just above the federal HEAP limit to qualify for heating assistance, the County Fuel Fund has been increased from the usual $40,000-per-winter to $100,000.
Anyone who qualifies can receive a one-time $800 grant to help pay their heating bill, said Marivette Contes, RECAP’s program director.
“We are trying to focus a lot on veterans and seniors because we know how they can struggle with their financial status and we are here to help as much as we can,” she said.
County Executive Steven Neuhaus said we are facing “a tsunami” this winter with exorbitant heating costs and rising food prices making it difficult for families to make ends meet.
He said if the $100,000 appropriation for the county fuel fund is exhausted, the county could add more money to it.
For information about receiving aid, call 845-421-6255 or mcontes@recap.org.
