[Archived] City of Alexandria Provides Summer Cooling Assistance for Low-Income Residents

City Press Release


	For Immediate Release	For More Information, Contact
	June 22, 2006 PIO# 156-06/rdo	Brian Hannigan, Director of Communications, or Raynard Owens, Communications Officer, at 703.838.4300 Raynard Owens, Communications Officer, at 703.838.4300

City of Alexandria Provides Summer Cooling Assistance for Low-Income Residents

The City of Alexandria’s Department of Human Services is accepting applications for cooling assistance through Tuesday, Aug. 15. The effort is part of the Virginia Department of Social Services’ Energy Assistance Program and seeks to assist low-income Alexandria residents in coping with the summer heat. Assistance is available to households that meet income and eligibility requirements and include a child or children under six years old, a disabled person, or an adult who is age 60 or older.

Cooling assistance can be used to help with the:

• payment of electric bills to operate cooling equipment
• payment of security deposits for electricity to operate cooling equipment
• repair of a central air conditioning system or heat pump
• purchase of a whole-house fan, including ceiling or attic fans
• purchase and installation of one window unit air conditioner for households where there is no unit or where the unit must be replaced

The maximum gross monthly income to qualify for cooling assistance is $1,062 before taxes for a household of one and $2,167 before taxes for a family of four.

The Energy Assistance Program is funded by the federal Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program block grant. The fuel component has existed since 1979 and serves approximately 100,000 households each year across the Commonwealth of Virginia, while the crisis component serves approximately 18,000 households. During the summer of 2005, the cooling component served approximately 40,000 households.

To obtain an application and apply for assistance, visit the City’s Department of Human Services at 2525 Mount Vernon Ave., or call 703.838.0971. For more information, visit the Virginia Department of Social Services’ Web site at www.dss.virginia.gov/benefit/ea/index.html.

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