High Fuel Oil Prices Are Driving Some Into The ‘Safety Net’

By Jan Howard

Applications are on the increase for emergency fuel allocations because of high cost of fuel, according to Director Glynis Lanzetta of Newtown Social Services.

However, there is more funding available, according to Cindy Slich, director of the Community Action Committee of Danbury (CACD), which approves applications for fuel assistance for area towns, including Newtown. The federal and state governments have released additional funding for the program, she said.

Funds for the energy assistance program are being used up, plus the additional $150 allotted to each energy program recipient for emergencies is going quickly, according to Ann Piccini of the Social Services Department.

Ms Piccini said in two instances the $150 has been depleted, and she has had to draw from safety net funding.  “I’ve never done that before, but it’s because the money is running out,” she said. 

She said there would probably be more applications for safety net funding. “It’s only February.”

The fuel assistance program runs from November 1 until March 15. The amount of assistance program participants receive is determined according to income, Ms Piccini said.

Ms Slich agreed that drawing on safety net funds is unusual because normal costs usually fall within the energy assistance program limits. These funds are being depleted this year, she said, because fuel costs have quadrupled in price from last year.

She noted, however, that money is not the issue. “We recently received permission to go into a double safety net,” she said.

She said statistics show “there is an ever-growing increase in new people applying” for the program.

CACD uses income guidelines to determine eligibility, she said. “We look at the entire household for what the gross income is.”

She said CACD also has other programs, such as Operation Fuel, for one-time assistance.

Ms Slich emphasized that program participants must call CACD to obtain permission for a delivery. “Automatic deliveries will not be paid for under the safety net,” she said. “They must call for approval.”

Ms Lanzetta said, “There have been a couple of semi emergency cases in town for frozen pipes that also involved other agencies. People who can’t afford fuel are having frozen pipes.”

She said these residents are either not aware of the fuel assistance program or their income falls above the program’s guidelines.

“High fuel prices have been a big problem,” Ms Lanzetta said.

However, she noted that the town has other funding sources, such as the Newtown Fund and the Salvation Army, that are used to pay for heaters to warm pipes and any necessary plumbing costs.