Kennebunkport resident Delma Smart says she’s frustrated by the fuel assistance application process and that her fuel tank is running low. TAMMY WELLS/Journal Tribune
“It’s within a hair’s breath of being empty,” she said from her Kennebunkport mobile home on Tuesday.
Smart is among about 4,000 people in York County who have applied for fuel assistance through the federal government’s Low Income Energy Assistance Program, commonly known as LiHEAP.
The funds flow from the Department of Housing and Urban Development to the Maine State Housing Authority. In York County, the applications are processed by York County Community Action Corporation.
Smart doesn’t know if her application has been denied or is on hold because of a document she is waiting for from the federal government that is a required part of the application process. But. she said, she is frustrated with the situation.
York County Community Action Corporation Assistant Director Carter Friend, said he can’t speak about individual cases. But he did say that the agency has been operating full tilt in recent weeks ever since the cold snap that saw calls for help increase rapidly. He said the agency is still behind in process applications as, he said, are others throughout the state.
“This year we’ve seen a tremendous increase in call volume because of the extreme cold,” said Friend. “We’ve had people working weekends, all hands on deck, to process applications.”
As well, he said, the application process requires very extensive documentation and struggling to get all the paperwork together isn’t unusual.
“The outreach department spends time helping folks get the right documents,” he said. “So the process can be burdensome and time consuming.”
He said if an applicant bumps up against a deadline and is denied, it doesn’t mean the process is over — once the documents arrives, the process is re-started.
In the meantime, he said, there are emergency resources available through the Energy Crisis Intervention program. As well, YCCAC has some private funding that can be used on an emergency basis until applicants can qualify for traditional fuel assistance, Friend said.
Smart, 74, has twice survived cancer and is facing another serious illness. At home, she enjoys the company of her two parrots and a shy cat she rescued from the streets of Biddeford some time ago. Years ago, she took care of rescue horses. These days she keeps a few chickens for eggs.
Old Orchard Beach resident Val Philbrick, who applied for fuel assistance for the first time last fall, said her application took more time than expected to be processed and she too began to worry. After a few calls, she said, she finally got word that her application was approved.
Kathy Parks of Kennebunk said she sent in her application Oct. 17 for the Oct. 25 deadline. She said she mailed in another required form on Dec, 12 and got a letter dated Dec 15 saying her application was denied. A week ago, she said she received a call from YCCAC saying she’d been approved. She said she hopes that is true.
Smart said one document she is waiting for is from the Social Security Administration outlining her 2017 earnings. She was told by Social Security she would receive a letter within five to seven days, but that didn’t arrive. She called on Monday, but the federal government was shut down.
YCCAC has requested a copy of her driver’s license as well, she said — a document that she doesn’t recall ever having to supply before.
She said she decided to speak publicly about her situation because she’s heard from others that she’s not alone.
“The more I try the more upset … I get, she said. “And I know there people worse off then what I am.”
— Senior Staff Writer Tammy Wells can be contacted at 324-4444 (local call in Sanford) or 282-1535, ext. 327 or twells@journaltribune.com.
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