We often put things on the fridge that we need to remember. If you're like me, you then forget to take it down long after you should. As the winter of 2008-2009 approaches, and just the thought of last winter still makes some of us shudder, having the names, phone numbers and websites of organizations and people dedicated to fuel assistance and conservation might just be a good thing to stick on the fridge or in a drawer. If not for you, then for someone you know. Just in case.
We all know the bad news: costs of oil and food skyrocketing, and more people out of work. The good news is that there are so many people standing ready to help. In true Maine fashion, this winter we need to turn to ourselves first. We may need to be a little nosy when we check in with our neighbors or relatives and ask outright, "How are you fixed for heat this winter?" - but we've got to do it nonetheless.
If the answer is that your neighbor is having a tough time, on the local level you can help them make a phone call to Janis Marshall at the York Senior Center at 363-1036. The Senior Center is located behind the York Police Department on Route 1-A in York Beach. Between Janis and Lori Nelson at York's Office of General Assistance, also at 363-1036, you can be connected to all the various services on the local and county level. The Senior Center can also provide information on individuals who will assist older homeowners in weatherizing their homes at a discounted rate, putting film over the windows, covering or removing air conditioners and the like.
In Ogunquit, all fuel assistance questions can be fielded by Cheryl Emery, Office of General Assistance, Ogunquit Town Hall, at 646-5139.
The York Community Service Association (YCSA), located on Route 1 in Cape Neddick, continues to assist local residents in need of help paying for their heating fuel, food, medication, electric bills, automobile repairs and more with the proceeds from its Thrift Store as well as from fundraising efforts and donations. YCSA can be reached at 363-5504. If everyone who can makes a donation of whatever they can afford to the YCSA "Warm Hearts, Warm Homes" program, we can all take part this winter in taking care of our own right here in town. Tax-deductible donations may be sent to York Community Service Association, P.O. Box 85, Cape Neddick, ME 03902.
One of the biggest obstacles in getting help for people can often be the people in need themselves. At a recent energy forum hosted by State Sen. Peter Bowman and Rep. Dawn Hill, a story was recounted about a man who stood up at the same energy forum when it was being held in Kittery and told the lawmakers that his 90-year-old father "would freeze to death before he'd ask for help." Many seniors are increasingly using credit cards to pay for fuel only to later end up unable to pay the credit card bill. For homeowners over the age of 62 who are unwilling to utilize assistance programs or who do not qualify for such programs, the federally insured reverse mortgage program allows them to access the equity in their home without having to make payments. The town of York's website, http://www.yorkmaine.org/, has an excellent PowerPoint presentation on reverse mortgages in its "Quick Links" section. If you do not have computer access, there are computers at the Senior Center and the staff would be happy to assist you in printing out a copy.
All roads for fuel assistance meet on the county level at York County Community Action Corporation, or YCCAC. This is the organization that administers the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP). LIHEAP is designed to help those earning less than 150 percent of the federal poverty level. Households with senior citizens or children ages 2 and under receive first priority and the average benefit is expected to be around $417 per household. The YCCAC does a great deal more than fuel assistance, however: major programs include Head Start and Early Head Start, WIC (Women, Infants, Children), Energy/Fuel Assistance, Community Outreach, Transportation, Housing Services and York County Community Health Care. For residents of York and Ogunquit, the YCCAC fuel assistance program in Sanford can be reached by calling (800) 965-5762, Ext. 2950 or 324-5762, Ext. 2950.
Maine's state lawmakers are fully aware of the coming winter and the potential hardships that we face. Recent energy forums were held in August by Mary Andrews, who is running for the Maine Senate from District 1, and Bowman and Hill have jointly hosted recent energy forums in Kittery and York. Our state legislators are excellent sources for information on both local and state resources for fuel assistance, energy conservation, weatherization programs and other ways to get help or save money.
Bowman can be reached in Kittery at 439-6481 and in Augusta at 287-1515 or toll-free at (800) 423-6900. His e-mail address is peterbowman@comcast.net or www.mainesenate.org/bowman.
Hill, who serves District 149, can be reached in York at 363-7594 and in Augusta at 287-1400. Her e-mail address is RepDawn.Hill@legislature.maine.gov.
Representative Windol Weaver from York's District 150 can be reached in York at 363-4641 and in Augusta at 287-1400. His e-mail address is RepWindol.Weaver@legislature.maine.gov.
In the northern tier of the country, our potential winter crisis is the quiet kind. Quiet because it has no name, like Ike or Katrina. The national news does not focus on it for days on end, and there are no helicopters circling overhead to take pictures of the damage done. Those who suffer for the most part do so quietly, individually, so that not even their neighbors know. When a local television station shows video of a home fire, sometimes only the fire department knows that the house burned because someone was trying to stay warm and couldn't afford oil. We have enough in people, concern and resources to change things - you have only to ask.
Nicole Waldron is a Senior Reverse Mortgage Consultant with Coastal Finance, LLC. She can be reached at 332-9998 or at Nicole@nicolewaldron.com.
