Winter Crisis Help Available

posted 10/14/19 -- Winter heating assistance for residents who need help paying for heat or who have had their heat turned off will be available beginning Nov. 1 through March 31, 2020.

Residents may begin calling Oct. 18 to make an appointment. To be eligible for help, residents must live at or below 175% of the federal poverty level.

Residents who have received a disconnection notice are especially urged to call the HEAP hotline at 855-806-9620 or go online to capappointments.com to make an appointment. Residents trying to restore, reconnect and or transfer services also qualify for the program.

Utility companies will stop a service disconnection if an appointment to determine eligibility has been made. Please note:

 

• Appointments must be no less than 48 hours before a disconnection to service is scheduled;
• The appointment must be kept to maintain an account hold;
•  Account number must be included in the appointment booking;
• Rescheduling removes the hold and possibly triggers loss of service; and If an appointment has been made but an individual chooses to be seen as a walk-in, the HEAP office needs to be notified of the active appointment so that the time can be released.

 

LCCAA assists clients at four locations: the main office, 936 Broadway Ave. in downtown Lorain; at the OhioMeansJobs office, 42495 North Ridge Road, Elyria; at Wellington Village Hall, 115 Willard Memorial Square, Wellington; and in North Ridgeville on the campus of Lorain County Community College, 32121 Lorain Road.

At the Lorain office, walk-ins and appointments are seen Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. The Elyria location sees only those with appointments on Mondays and Tuesdays from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. The Wellington location is open Wednesdays from 7:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. and sees walk-ins in the morning only; appointments are required in the afternoon. The North Ridgeville location is open Thursdays from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. seeing walk-ins in the morning and appointments in the afternoon.

All sites are closed for lunch daily from noon to 1 p.m. Applicants must be seated with an advocate within 45 minutes of closing to be seen.

LCCAA's automated appointment line includes a recorded message describing the documents needed for the appointment. Those needing to do so may also speak to a representative during regular office hours.

Please visit www.lccaa.net or call 440-245-2009 (select 2 for HEAP) during business hours for a detailed list. Customers may also complete an application at energyhelp.ohio.gov.

Documentation includes:

 

• Income information for all household members 18 years of age or older. Any member reporting “no income” must complete a no income form;
• Social security numbers for all household members;
• Proof of citizenship for all household members;
• Most recent electric and gas bills;

 

Additional information may be required.

Last year, LCCAA directly helped more than 2,000 clients during the winter crisis period. The Winter Crisis Program is funded by the U.S. Department of Energy and administered by the Ohio Development Services Agency's Office of Community Assistance.