Commissioner Ken Schatz announced Feb. 26 that the Department for Children and Families (DCF) is providing $375,000 to the state’s five community action agencies to fund additional crisis fuel assistance grants through their WARMTH programs.
“When a family asks for crisis fuel assistance, it means that their tanks are on empty,” said Hal Cohen, secretary of Administration and Human Services (AHS). “We are very pleased that we are able to provide these additional resources to keep families warm during this very difficult, cold winter.”
These additional monies, funded from the state’s fuel assistance budget, will help about 1,500 households to purchase up to $250 in much-needed additional home heating fuel.
“While this extended stretch of bitter cold weather is affecting all Vermonters, low-income households have been especially hard hit,” said DCF commissioner Ken Schatz. “They are struggling to stay warm and to do it safely. These extra grants will help make sure they don’t have to use costly electric space heaters or unsafe heating sources to keep their homes warm through this especially cold winter.”
Grants will be available to households that have:
Exhausted their seasonal and crisis fuel grants;
Incomes at or below 185% of the federal poverty level; and
At least one household member age 60 or older, disabled, or under the age of 6
