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ENERGY ASSISTANCE PROGRAMS

Section Four: Crisis Payments Intake, Operations & Policy Manual

Program Year 2026 71 SECTION FOUR: CRISIS PAYMENTS This Section contains: ✓ Crisis Payments ✓ Crisis Services ✓ Life Threatening Crisis Crisis Payments A crisis exists when a household faces a sudden or unexpected event beyond their control resulting in the inability to pay household heating or cooling costs. Crisis applications will be addressed within 48 hours of a completed application if such household is eligible to receive such benefits. All authorized crisis payments must be pledged to the vendor/utility within 48 hours. If a pledge is unable to be made agencies must provide some sort of assistance that addresses the energy crisis. In the event of the household energy related emergencies, in-kind benefits may be used to augment crisis assistance payments. These include, but are not limited to sleeping bags, clothing, blankets, and/or emergency disaster kits etc. (please check with energy staff at OHCS to ensure in kind benefits are appropriate). A crisis may be caused by, or defined as: • Medical conditions- high costs or essential equipment • Sudden loss of job, public benefits, or other income • Malfunction of heating or cooling equipment • Domestic violence • Other circumstances that may pose a potential health and/or safety threat. Circumstances which do not necessarily qualify as a crisis include: • Chronic non-payment of utility/fuel costs • Unexplained or excessively high utility/fuel costs • Other situations which are not sudden, unexpected, or beyond the control of the household While a household must have exhausted a regular benefit prior to receiving a crisis benefit, an agency may provide both simultaneously (See Combo Payment page 3.1).