HeartShare Human Services, in partnership with National Grid, will open its Neighborhood Heating Fund for the season on Wednesday, December 9.
Through the Neighborhood Heating Fund, HeartShare administers the $200 grant to HEAP-eligible National Grid customers with an open balance on their account. Home Energy Assistance or HEAP is a federally funded program assisting low-income New Yorkers with the cost of heating their homes.

“Despite rising energy costs, every year, there are limited provisions for these vulnerable New Yorkers experiencing energy insecurity, including senior citizens, veterans and those with disabilities,” said Joseph Guarinello, HeartShare Vice President of Energy Assistance Programs and Information Technology. Energy insecurity is measured by the ratio of household energy expenditures to total household income, which is disproportionately high for low-income New Yorkers.

Energy insecurity, which often forces a trade-off between paying for heat or other necessities like food, compromises health and safety. Studies from the Columbia Mailman School of Public Health have noted that “young children in energy-insecure homes are more likely to contend with housing and food insecurity, experience fair or poor health, have been hospitalized at least once since birth, and be at risk for developmental delays.”

Neighborhood Heating Fund grant recipients must reside in Brooklyn, Queens or Staten Island in a 1-2 family home or in an apartment where the tenant pays for the heat. The grant may be received once per heating season.

The Neighborhood Heating Fund was founded by National Grid in 1983 to help low-income families and individuals with elevated bills meet their monthly payments. The full list of intake sites throughout Brooklyn, Queens and Staten Island for the Neighborhood Heating Fund may be found here: Neighborhood Heating Fund Intake Sites

In recent years, HeartShare has worked tirelessly to expand its reach to New Yorkers in need. Through its connection to elected officials and community organizations, HeartShare intake sites for energy grant applications now span across 60 of the 62 New York counties.

HeartShare’s Energy Assistance Program, which reached over 23,000 New Yorkers this past year, also are made possible by utility partners, Consolidated Edison, New York State Electric and Gas (NYSEG) and Rochester Gas and Electric (RG&E).

For more information on opportunities for energy assistance grants, visit https://www.heartshare.org/our-programs/energy-assistance-and-community-development/.