4 CRISIS ASSISTANCE

Eligibility - 2604(c), 2605(c)(1)(A) 4.1 Designate the income eligibility threshold used for the crisis component Add Household size Eligibility Guideline Eligibility Threshold 1 All Household Sizes HHS Poverty Guidelines 150.00% 4.2 Provide your LIHEAP program's definition for determining a crisis. If you administer multiple crisis assistance programs (winter, summer, and/or year-round), Include all program definitions. A household is considered to be in a life threatening or health related crisis if the heating or cooling source is disconnected, or the household is currently experiencing or is in danger of experiencing a life-threatening or health-related emergency due to lack of heating/cooling, and sufficient, timely, and appropriate assistance is not available from any other source. Life-threatening is defined as a household which has no heating or cooling source or has a disconnect, final or past due notice for their primary heating or cooling service and the health or well-being of a household member would be in danger if the heating or cooling crisis was not alleviated. State policy section 400.01. 4.3 What constitutes a life-threatening crisis? Life-threatening is defined as a household which has no heating or cooling source or has a disconnect, final or past due notice for their primary heating or cooling service and the health or well-being of a household member would be in danger if the heating or cooling crisis was not alleviated. Each household should be evaluated on a case-by-case basis to determine if there is a heating or cooling crisis. State policy section 400. 01. Crisis Requirement, 2604(c) 4.4 Within how many hours do you provide an intervention that will resolve the energy crisis for eligible households? 48Hours 4.5 Within how many hours do you provide an intervention that will resolve the energy crisis for eligible households in life-threatening situations? 18Hours Crisis Eligibility, 2605(c)(1)(A) Winter Crisis Summer Crisis Year-Round Crisis 4.6 Do you have additional eligibility requirements for Crisis Assistance? 4.7 Check the appropriate boxes below to indicate type(s) of assistance provided 0 Do you require an Assets test? Do you give priority in eligibility to: Older Adults (60 years or older)? Individuals with a disability? Young Children? Households with high energy burdens? Other (Specify): underlying medical issues and/or services are disconnected In Order to receive crisis assistance: Must the household have received a shut-off notice or have a near empty tank? Must the household have been shut off or have an empty tank? Must the household have exhausted their regular heating benefit? Must renters with heating costs included in their rent have received an eviction notice? Must heating/cooling be medically necessary? Must the household have non-working heating or cooling equipment? Other (Specify): household must have a past due balance or disconnection notice Do you have additional/differing eligibility policies for: Renters? Renters living in subsidized housing? Renters with utilities included in the rent? Explanations of policies for each "yes" checked above: For the crisis program a household must meet the vulnerbility policy: To be eligible, a household must be vulnerable at the time of application. A household is vulnerable if it has a heating source billed separately and it is subject to the rising cost of heating for the heat expense. Accept the applicant’s statement about the vulnerability status for the household. 1. If a household lives in a private living arrangement with a heating source and heat costs are billed separately, it is fully vulnerable. 2. If a household lives in public housing where heat costs are billed separately from the rent, it is fully vulnerable. 3. An applicant who lives in a private living arrangement who does not receive a separate bill from the energy provider, they are not vulnerable. 4. A household living in public housing where utilities for heat are billed separately from the rent or where utilities for heat are included in the rent, and the household has paid an excess in utilities for heat in the last 12 months at the current address, is fully vulnerable. County needs to have the public housing/housing authority sign a vendor contract for the payment check to be written to them directly or the public housing/housing authority needs to provide the account number for the household applying for benefits. For additional verification of a heating arrangement in public housing, contact the local public housing authority. 5. A person living in an institution is not vulnerable. State policy section 400.06. Determination of Benefits 4.8 How do you handle crisis situations? Separate component Benefit Fast Track, no separate amount of crisis funds is issued. Rather benefits are issued to crisis customers within crisis response time frames. Other - Describe: Determination of benefit for the crisis program is based on the need of the household to alleviate the crisis with a $600 max benefit per household per fiscal year. Processing timeframes are impacted by whether the household has an underlying health issues and/or services are disconnected. 4.9 If you have a separate component, how do you determine crisis assistance benefits? Amount to resolve the crisis. $0 Other - Describe: Amount needed to alleviate crisis up to $600 per fiscal year. Crisis Requirements, 2604(c) 4.10 Do you accept applications for energy crisis assistance at sites that are geographically accessible to all households in the area to be served? Yes No Explain. Yes, all 100 county subgrantees in the state has atleast one agency that accepts applications for the program. For larger counties some have more than one agency site. 4.11 Do you provide individuals who are individuals with a disability the means to: Submit applications for crisis benefits without leaving their homes? Yes No If No, explain. Yes, applications can be completed over the phone and online Travel to the sites at which applications for crisis assistance are accepted? Yes No If No, explain. There is no statewide public transportation. This is why the state offers phone and online applications, to prevent transportation to a site being a barrier when applying for assistance. If you answered "No" to both options in question 4.11, please explain alternative means of intake to those who are homebound or physically disabled? We take phone applications and allow the client to complete a telephonic signature. The State of NC also has an online website, ePASS.nc.gov, for applicants to apply online and provide any necessary verification. Benefit Levels, 2605(c)(1)(B) 4.12 Indicate the maximum benefit for each type of crisis assistance offered. Winter Crisis $0.00 maximum benefit Summer Crisis $0.00 maximum benefit Year-round Crisis $600.00 maximum benefit 4.13 Do you provide in-kind (e.g. blankets, space heaters, fans) and/or other forms of benefits? Yes No If yes, Describe Yes, the crisis program used funds to purchase in-kind items for househoulds within the $600 benefit max amount. 4.14 Do you provide for equipment repair or replacement using crisis funds? Yes No If you answered "Yes" to question 4.14, you must complete question 4.15. 4.15 Check appropriate boxes below to indicate type(s) of assistance provided. Winter Crisis Summer Crisis Year-round Crisis Heating system repair Heating system replacement Cooling system repair Cooling system replacement Wood stove purchase Pellet stove purchase Solar panel(s) Utility poles / gas line hook-ups Other (Specify): No, these type pf services for repair or replacement is completed through the Weatherization program not the crisis program. 4.16 Do any of the utility vendors you work with enforce a moratorium on shut offs? Yes No If you responded "Yes" to question 4.16, you must respond to question 4.17. 4.17 Describe the terms of the moratorium and any special dispensation received by LIHEAP clients during or after the moratorium period. Moratoriums have been lifted in our State, no longer a State of Emergency but utiity vendors have the flexibility to issue moratoriums if needed. 4.18 If you experience a natural disaster, do you intend to utilize LIHEAP crisis funds to address disaster related crisis situations? Yes No If yes, describe If any of the above questions require further explanation or clarification that could not be made in the fields provided, attach a document with said explanation here.