FARMINGTON — Western Maine Community Action and the ECU HEAT program are gearing up to help Franklin County households with their heating needs this winter. 

Applications for the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program, or LIHEAP, will be taken at Western Maine Community Action in East Wilton.

“We will be doing applications over the phone and then going out to collect income and other paperwork required for verification at off-site locations, starting Sept. 9,” fuel assistance director Judith Frost said.

An application for the new ECU HEAT SHARE program will be included with the appointment letter for households that received a 50-gallon ECU HEAT emergency fuel delivery last year. 

Any family in need may also ask for an ECU HEAT SHARE application at WMCA.

The new ECU HEAT SHARE program will continue to deliver 50 gallons of oil or the equivalent for other forms of fuel. These deliveries will be paid for by the Franklin County Ecumenical Heating Fund. However, this winter applicants will be asked to make a $50 deposit with the application.

 “We realize this is an added burden for families already having difficulty making ends meet,” said the Rev. Susan Crane, ECU HEAT coordinator, “but the need is so great that we want to make sure we can assist at least 300 families.” 

Last winter, the fund raised $49,000 and spent all but $600 of it on emergency fuel to 255 families. During November, $25,000 was spent before arrival of federal LIHEAP funds. In December callers were being turned away for lack of funds.

More money was raised to cover the rest of the heating season, Crane said, “But our goal is to provide fuel assistance to every Franklin County household requesting heating help.”

The best way to accomplish the goal is to have each applicant pay a share of the cost. 

“Even as the cost of fuel rises, the shares people pay will allow ECU HEAT to assist at least 50 more families next winter,” Crane said. 

People will fill out their application and attach a money order payable to the fuel vendor of choice. Applicants will submit completed applications in advance to Western Maine Community Action for processing. This will avoid emergencies by encouraging families to plan ahead.

Western Maine Community Action will be able to approve each application, in the order in which it arrives, to make sure each household receives only one delivery per heating season. For applicants that are approved, Western Maine Community Action will send them and the money order to the fuel vendor, so the vendor also has some lead time to schedule a delivery. The applicant will be notified of the approval and instructed to call the vendor to schedule the delivery once the tank is below half full. Deliveries must be made only between Nov. 1 and March 31. The balance due for each delivery will be covered by the Franklin County Ecumenical Heating Fund, subject to the availability of funds.  

There are no income guidelines or verification required by the ECU HEAT SHARE program, but the assistance is designed to help neighbors who are disabled, seniors with limited incomes, unemployed or underemployed, and low-income families with young children. 

For applications visit Western Maine Community Action at 100 Church St. in East Wilton.

ECU HEAT is hoping to raise $50,000 for this winter’s needs and expects to spend half that amount by Nov. 30. The sum of $2,000 is needed to reach the November goal. 

Contributions are tax deductible and will be acknowledged. Donations may be sent to ECU HEAT, P.O. Box 147, Farmington, ME 04938. The Franklin County Ecumenical Heating Fund is a ministry of Farmington Area Ecumenical Ministry. It serves all of Franklin County, except Jay, which is served by the Tri-Town Ministerial Good Neighbor Fund.

Farmington Area Ecumenical Ministry is a community partner of the United Way of the Tri-Valley Area.