| Releases & Statements
Contact: Frank Sobrino
O: (212) 669-4193 C: (646) 250-4322
For Immediate Release: February 10,
2006
Public Advocate Betsy Gotbaum today
charged the Pataki Administration with depriving New York City
of approximately $111 million in federal aid to help low-income
families pay their heating costs. Gotbaum released findings indicating
that the city receives only 14 percent of the Home Energy Assistance
Program (HEAP) money allocated to the state, despite the fact
that it is home to 61 percent of the state population living below
the poverty line.
“Under Governor Pataki’s
watch, New York City has not gotten its fair share of federal
heating aid,” Gotbaum said. “HEAP is designed to help
low-income families pay for heat. Most of the low-income families
in the State are here. So why aren’t we getting most of
the money? The system is inequitable and inefficient.”
Every winter, thousands of New York
City residents with limited resources struggle to stay warm in
apartments that are not properly heated. According to the 2005
Mayor’s Management Report, the Department of Housing Preservation
and Development (HPD) received almost 125,000 heat and hot water
complaints and issued more than 12,800 heat and hot water violations
in Fiscal Year 2005.
Low-income residents who live in homes
that are not properly heated may be forced to skimp on necessities
such as food and medicine, in order to purchase space heaters
and pay increased electric bills. They may also attempt to heat
their homes with their ovens, risking carbon monoxide poisoning
or fire. Yet the New York State Office of Temporary and Disability
Assistance (OTDA) continues to direct the bulk of HEAP funding
to upstate households.
Despite a 21 percent spike in home
heating oil costs this winter, Congress has approved less funding
for heating assistance this year than last. The State has agreed
to allocate $100 million to make up for the shortfall in federal
funding, but the money will not help renters, who are stuck with
a minimum annual benefit of $40 to $50. To correct this bias against
renters, who pay the high cost of heating as part of their rent,
Gotbaum called on OTDA to raise the minimum annual benefit to
$150, matching the minimum provided to homeowners.
“Renters pay just as much for
heat as homeowners, and they’re just as likely to face a
heating crisis,” Gotbaum said. “One hundred extra
dollars could go a long way towards keeping their families warm
this winter. And an extra $111 million in federal aid would provide
a meaningful boost to the city’s economy.”
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