PRESQUE ISLE, Maine — More Aroostook County residents will be in dire need of heating fuel this winter and lowered benefits could leave many at risk, according to a local agency in charge of administering fuel assistance.
In the winter of 2019 to 2020, an average Aroostook household of four people could expect to receive a one-time $722 credit on their monthly heating fuel bill as part of Maine Housing Authority’s Home Energy Assistance Program. Though small, that amount would have reduced their bill from around $2,370 to $1,648, allowing them more funds to keep their home warm, according to data compiled by Aroostook County Action Program.
The pandemic resulted in extra assistance for people struggling, but those funds will not exist this winter. On top of that, the higher cost of living will likely lead to more people competing for decreased federal funds, prompting leaders at ACAP to call for more community awareness and support.
At a public forum Tuesday in Presque Isle, ACAP Executive Director and CEO Jason Parent said that the average anticipated HEAP benefit payment could fall from $722 to $550 for a family of four, which would only reduce their average heat bill from $3,450 to $2,900.
On top of that, heating fuel prices have risen greatly since the winter months of 2020.
The average cost for fuel was $2.65 per gallon back then but now is projected to be $4.50 per gallon this winter, Parent said, though Dead River Co. is predicting a possible decrease before winter starts.
That’s why ACAP is predicting that 7,551 households could qualify for HEAP this winter compared with 4,707 in the 2019-2020 season.
ACAP began to help people apply for HEAP July 1 and is already seeing panic among those who have received acceptance letters, Parent noted.
“They’re calling us very concerned because they’re seeing that their benefit has declined drastically,” Parent said.
This year, MaineHousing expects to use $41 million in federal funds toward HEAP, which is distributed among the state’s 10 community action agencies. People approved for HEAP also can qualify for emergency fuel stipends of $750 if their heating oil tank is only 25 percent full or less.
In 2023-2024, the $40 million funding total for HEAP was a sharp decline from the prior year’s $57 million, which left ACAP scrambling to allocate a remaining $5 million before MaineHousing closed off funds March 1.
The Maine Legislature passed LD 3 in 2023, providing one-time $800 additional payments for HEAP-qualifying households, which totaled $1,465 in Aroostook, but that program will not return this winter, Parent said.
Aroostook’s elderly population and poverty rate for families makes the need for assistance especially great in this region, said Sarah Duncan, executive director for United Way of Aroostook.
In 2022, United Way studied local poverty levels and found that 17 percent of Aroostook’s overall population fell at or below that year’s federal poverty level of $26,500 in annual income for a family or four, or $12,880 for an individual, compared with 12 percent statewide.
United Way also studied a group of people they’re calling asset-limited income-constrained employed, or ALICE.
“These individuals are above the federal poverty line but they have no savings. They’re living paycheck to paycheck and have to make decisions on basic necessities,” Duncan said. “These are the people at the grocery store, your CNAs [certified nurse’s assistants], the essential workers.”
United Way and ACAP raised $100,000 for emergency fuel relief last year during their annual telethon, all of which was spent within a month, Duncan said. That’s why future efforts will prioritize the ALICE population and households deemed most vulnerable for hypothermia — senior citizens and those with children aged two and under.
ACAP is promoting a new online application form from MaineHousing that allows people to check their application status in real time without calling the agency and set up an appointment faster, putting them ahead of the line for receiving benefits.
That could make a difference for people who are already finding themselves without heat amidst colder morning temperatures throughout The County this week.
“We had five requests for emergency assistance today,” Melissa Runshe, ACAP program coordinator, said during Tuesday’s forum.
Over a dozen community members attended the public forum, with many being volunteers at churches and faith-based organizations.
Churches are often the first places people turn to when they’re struggling but aren’t yet aware of ACAP’s resources, said Robin Cooper, an administrative assistant at Framework Church in Presque Isle.
“We tend to get five to eight calls a week [about heating fuel assistance] and we’ve already started getting calls,” Cooper said.
ACAP leaders said that if they and other organizations prioritize making residents aware of the federal heating funds, they might collectively help more people through the winter.
“I’m sure all of you receive calls from people in a panic because they don’t have heat. That’s where we would like to create a collective script,” Duncan said. “Instead of having people call around, we all can give the same message of, ‘This is what you need to do.’ It’ll help them get the help they need that much faster.”
