Open registrations are now being accepted for the low-income home energy assistance program.

Greene County New Opportunities Family Development Center Coordinator Teresa Lansman says anyone wishing to apply for federal funds to help pay for household heating can do so by stopping into her office in Jefferson.

Last year, adds Lansman, there were 560 people in the county who took advantage of the program which was a 20 household drop from the year before.  She points out that this program is very important for people who need help paying to keep the heat on in their households during the winter months.

“It’s a (federal) government granted program and if those numbers go down, the government feels like that’s no longer a program that needs to be established.  So we try really hard to keep those numbers up from year to year.”

An example of the amount of income that a typical household would need to make in order to qualify.  For a four-person household, you would need an income of no more than $35,325.  If you go over that, than you wouldn’t qualify.

To better help the application process, Lansman asks for social security cards for all the members of the household, proof of income and a heat or electric bill.

Anyone with questions can call Lansman at 386-2719.