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 State Median Income 60.00% 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. The New Hampshire Fuel Assistance Program determines that an applicant household is in crisis based upon the following situations: Applicant households with deliverable fuel having 1/4 tank or less oil or kerosene, 20% or less propane in their tank, or less than a week's supply of wood or other wood fuel (e.g. pellets) • Applicant households heating with a metered utility having a disconnect notice • Applicant households with heat included in the rent (when not subsidized) having received an eviction notice • 4.3 What constitutes a life-threatening crisis? The New Hampshire Fuel Assistance Program determines that an applicant household is in life-threatening crisis when they are without heat. This includes the following situations: Applicant households utilize a deliverable fuel but are out of the product (oil, kerosene, propane, wood or other wood fuel, such as pellets) • Applicant households utilize a metered utility for heat and have been disconnected • Applicant households with heat included in the rent (when not subsidized) have been evicted/served by the court to vacate • Applicant households have a non-functioning, unsafe, or otherwise inoperable heating system and secondary source of heat that can heat the dwelling adequately • 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): 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): 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: Households (other than those with heat included in rent) are considered in crisis if they have a shut-off notice or near empty tank OR if they have non-working heating equipment. They do not need both to be considered a crisis. Renters living in subsidized housing who have heat included in rent are not eligible for the NH Fuel Assistance Program. 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: 4.9 If you have a separate component, how do you determine crisis assistance benefits? Amount to resolve the crisis. $0 Other - Describe: 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. The five NH Community Action Agencies (CAA) cover all counties in the state. Each CAA has at least one office within each county they serve that is open fulltime and year-round. Some agencies have multiple offices in the counties they serve while others have space within other organizations. All CAAs perform outreach to accept applications at satellite locations or community events. 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. Travel to the sites at which applications for crisis assistance are accepted? Yes No If No, explain. 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? Benefit Levels, 2605(c)(1)(B) 4.12 Indicate the maximum benefit for each type of crisis assistance offered. Winter Crisis $2,177.00 maximum benefit Summer Crisis $0.00 maximum benefit Year-round Crisis $0.00 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 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): This is provided through LIHEAP Weatherization funding. 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. Winter Disconnection Rules (Administered by the NH Department of Energy) From November 15 through March 31, there is increased protection for customers of regulated electric and natural gas utilities. While customers can still be disconnected if they fail to make payments on their gas or electric bills, it is more difficult to be disconnected during the winter period. En 1204.03 Protection from Disconnection. (a) An arrearage resulting from non-payment of bills for service rendered during the winter and non-winter period shall exceed the following amounts before a notice of disconnection for a primary residence can be sent: (1) For gas non-heating customers, $125; (2) For electric non-heating customers, $225; and (3) For electric and gas heating customers, $450. (b) Notwithstanding (a) above, during the winter period utilities shall seek department approval before disconnecting the service of residential customers known to be 65 years or older. (c) No residential customer shall be disconnected during the winter period for non-payment of a deposit or portion of deposit. In addition, there are also additional protections, including altered payment arrangements, during the winter with a known financial hardship,* including LIHEAP households. *Definition of financial hardship per NH DOE: Section En 1202.10 “Financial hardship” means a residential customer has provided the utility with evidence of current enrollment of the customer or the customer’s household in the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program, the Electric Assistance Program, the Neighbor Helping Neighbor Program, the Link-Up and Lifeline Telephone Assistance Programs, their successor programs or any other federal, state or local government program or government funded program of any social service agency which provides financial assistance or subsidy assistance for low income households based upon a written determination of household financial eligibility. Full winter disconnection rules can be provided at request. 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.