Dear Neighbors,
In response to the spike in propane costs in our area, the Minnesota Department of Commerce recently announced additional financial assistance for eligible Minnesotans currently heating their homes with propane and heating oil.
Financial assistance is available through Minnesota’s Energy Assistance Program (EAP), with additional payments available as early as next week. Households with an income less than 50 percent of the state median income ($43,642 for a family of four) may qualify.
There’s also newly-created hotline operating Monday through Friday from 9:00am to 4:30pm for Minnesotans who have questions about the current propane situation or who are in danger of running out of heating fuel. Call 1-800-657-3504 for assistance.
I strongly urge you to share this information with anyone you know who is impacted by the propane shortage. Payments through this program have just been increased from $500 to $1,000, so up to $500 in additional funds for eligible individuals and families are at stake.
HOW TO APPLY TO FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE:
To find a list of local service providers and information on applying for the Minnesota Energy Assistance Program, you can call 1-800-657-3710 or visit the Energy Assistance section of the Division of Energy Resources website:
http://mn.gov/commerce/energy/consumers/Heating-Assistance/
Other forms of assistance may be available through county social service programs, community-based organizations, and nonprofit agencies. See the Stay Warm Minnesota webpage for a list of resources:
http://mn.gov/commerce/energy/topics/resources/Stay-Warm-Minnesota/
You can also get in touch with me and my legislative staff by calling 651-296-4228 or emailing me at rep.andrew.falk@house.mn.
I strongly encourage you to take advantage of the hotline and the heating assistance. This brutal winter cold means we all need to help each other out whenever we can. So please let me know if there is anything I can do to help.
Andrew Falk