The Home Energy Assistance Program (HEAP) is a federally funded program that assists low income households in meeting the high costs of heating. As winter approaches, many Western New Yorkers will face rising heating bills. My office can assist you with questions you may have about applying for aid from this program.

The program is structured in a way that higher benefits are provided to those households that have a larger percentage of their income spent on energy costs, contain a vulnerable individual and have the lowest income. Vulnerable individuals are defined as children under the age of 6, adults aged 60 or older, or disabled individuals.

If you need help applying for assistance, please check the sites below, or contact Jeffrey Sheridan at (716)-853-5813.

• NYS Office of Temporary and Disability Assistance:
  http://www.otda.state.ny.us/main/heap/default.asp
• Erie County Department of Social Services:
  http://www.erie.gov/depts/socialservices/heap.asp
• Monroe County Department of Social Services:
  http://www.monroecounty.gov/hs-assistance.php
• Niagara County Department of Social Services:
  http://www.niagaracounty.com/socialservice/heap.asp
• Orleans County Department of Social Services:
  http://orleansny.com/HumanServices/DepartmentofSocialServices/tabid/150/Default.aspx

2010-2011 HEAP Benefit Gross Monthly Income Guidelines

Your total gross monthly income for your household size must be at or below the following guidelines:

Effective 10/01/10-9/30/11

Buffalo, NY – Congresswoman Louise Slaughter (NY-28) today announced a $4.6 million appropriation from the U.S. Department of Defense to the University at Buffalo to purchase a cyclotron to support UB’s $118 million Clinical and Translational Research Center (CTRC).

"The Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus has been an anchor of job creation and innovation for Buffalo which is why I’m so pleased to announce this funding for the purchase of a cyclotron at the University at Buffalo,” said Slaughter. “With this funding the Clinical and Translational Research Center on the Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus will have the ability to develop new therapies and treatments for cardiovascular diseases, cancer and neurological disorders and makes UB more competitive for federal research grants to continue their lifesaving work.”

Slaughter Also Announces $28 Million for Track Projects Along Empire Corridor 

Niagara Falls, NY – Today, Congresswoman Louise Slaughter came to Niagara Falls to announce $16.5 million in federal grant funding would be coming to Niagara Falls to complete revitalization of the Niagara Falls Customhouse, soon to be known as the Niagara Falls International Railway Station.

The funding comes from the Department of Transportation’s competitive TIGER II grant program which was enacted as part of the stimulus bill.

Rochester, NY – Congresswoman Louise Slaughter (NY-28) today announced $1.5 million has been obligated to the New York State Department of Transportation (NYSDOT) for the planning and design of a new passenger intermodal rail station on Central Avenue. Joined by officials from the Federal Railroad Administration and the City at the Rochester train station, Slaughter said the funds made possible by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act were today awarded to NYSDOT after months of work by Slaughter, the city and the state.

“I’m delighted to announce that after months of work, $1.5 million in federal funding is on its way to Rochester for an intermodal station,” said Slaughter, New York’s high-speed rail champion and founder of the Upstate Congressional Caucus. “In order to make high-speed rail accessible to tourists and business commuters, we must not let their journey stop at the train station. By combining bus and train facilities, this station will become the vital link making high-speed rail an economic driver in Rochester.”

Lewiston, NY – Congresswoman Louise Slaughter (NY-28) today congratulated several recipients of the prestigious Fulbright award from her district in Western New York.  The award is given annually to students and scholars who demonstrate academic excellence to study, lecture, teach, or conduct research abroad for the 2010-2011 academic year.

“To be a Fulbright award winner, that really is a testament to the hard work of these individuals,” said Slaughter.  “I congratulate each and every one of them.  These Fulbright recipients take the skills necessary to cultivate mutual understanding between the United States and other nations, as is the spirit of the Fulbright Program.”

The recipients in Slaughter’s district this year are Mr. Maximillian Cuddy of Temple University, Dr. Robert Granfield of SUNY-Buffalo, Mr. Gabriel Hurst of Cornell University, Ms. Elise Russell of Rochester University, and Dr. Denise Scott of SUNY-Geneseo.

The program intends to build mutual understanding between the people of the United States and those of other countries.

Recipients of Fulbright awards are selected on the basis of academic or professional achievement as well as demonstrated leadership potential in their fields. Established by Congress in 1946, the Fulbright Program has exchanged over a quarter of a million on 155 countries.