Sullivan County looks to make this year's Home Energy Assistance program a success after last year's debacle. Time Warner Cable News reporter Jackson Wang has more on what the county plans to do.
MONTICELLO, N.Y. -- This winter was rough for many in the Hudson Valley, a contrast to the summer weather we have now, but we all know it's coming back.
Preparations are underway for the worst of whatever this winter season may bring.
“We wanted an opportunity to try to expand our community involvement with the program and correct some deficiencies that we had in the last year’s program,” said William Moon, Sullivan County Department of Family Services deputy commissioner.
On Tuesday, the county sponsored a vendor luncheon to prepare for this year's Home Energy Assistance Program. It comes after the Department of Family Services faced a backlog of hundreds of applications last year. In March, D.F.S. Commissioner Randy Parker was fired for mismanagement of HEAP.
“I believe that the management and the county is proactively addressing everything," said Andrew Bryk of N.Y.S. Office of Temporary and Disability Assistance
He was brought in to perform an audit following last year's HEAP troubles.
“In the process of doing that audit, we have recommendations, and those recommendations the county has embraced and put many of those recommendations in place,” Bryk said.
One change the county will implement this year is opening multiple locations for residents to apply for the program. Those six sites will be located in Liberty, Monticello, and Woodbourne.
“We feel that will make an enormous difference in being able to service the population more effectively and in a more timely manner,” Moon said.
They'll also send out hundreds of applications in the coming weeks to those that are eligible for early enrollment. Officials said that will get the process moving before the regular application opens in November.
“We believe that will be a key to their success and the program’s success,” Moon said.
Once an application is submitted, the applicant will have to be notified within 30 days. The county is hoping to do it within 25 days, well before snow falls again.