By Kathy Chaffin
kchaffin@salisburypost.com
A total of 3,729 Rowan County households have been approved to receive assistance with heating bills through this year’s Low Income Energy Assistance Program.
A total of $740,083 in checks ó ranging from $85 to $321 ó are scheduled to be released Feb. 1. This is up from $253,485 distributed to 3,100 Rowan households approved for assistance last year.
Statewide, more than $45 million is being distributed through this year’s Low Income Energy Assistance Program, which offers a one-time emergency payment to households needing help with heating bills.
These statistics were among several reports on assistance programs presented by Social Services Director Sandra Wilkes at Tuesday’s board meeting.
An update was also given on the department’s Crisis Intervention Fund, which is also used to help qualifying households with fuel costs.
At the request of Rowan Helping Ministries, Wilkes said the department revised the Crisis Intervention Fund plan effective this month to increase the maximum amount of assistance per household from $300 to $600. The increase is based on increased costs of fuel.
The release of Low Income Energy Assistance Program checks on Feb. 1, however, may decrease the need for Crisis Intervention Funds, she said.
Also at the meeting, Pat Spears, income maintenance program administrator, presented projections on Medicaid and food stamp programs. Applications for the Medicaid program, after increasing from 11,067 in 2007 to 12,158 in 2008, she said, are projected to rise to 14,028 by the end of this year.
Caseloads for the program, which rose from 8,623 in 2007 to 9,968 in 2008, are projected to rise to 11,886 by the end of this year, she said.
As for the food stamp program, now called the Food and Nutrition Service Program, Spears said there were actually fewer applications in 2008 with 7,332 than in 2007 with 7,584. Applications for 2009, however, are projected to increase to 9,564.
Food and Nutrition Service caseloads are also expected to increase, she said, to a projected 7,586 in 2009 from 5,952 in 2008 and 5,451 in 2007.
Contact Kathy Chaffin at 704-797-4249.