This benefit covers the cost of the air conditioner or fan, administrative costs, labor, program support, materials, removal of your old unit, and minor repairs needed to safely install the new unit.
**Cooling Assistance Benefit applications open in April**
To be eligible for the cooling assistance benefit, a member of your household must:
— Be a United States Citizen or Qualified Non-Citizen (lawful permanent resident; refugee; asylee; battered spouse and children; victim of trafficking; or individual from certain countries), AND
— Have at least one individual with a documented medical condition that is exacerbated by extreme heat (this must be verified in writing by a physician, physician assistant, or nurse practitioner), OR
— Be a vulnerable member based on their age (elderly aged 60 years or older, or young children under age 6),
AND
— You currently do not have a working air conditioner, or the air conditioner you have is five years old or older, AND
— You did not receive a HEAP air conditioner within the past five years, AND
— Your household’s monthly income from all sources, like returns, discounts, and allowances before taking out any costs or taxes for your family is at or below the current income guidelines for your household size https://access.nyc.gov/programs/cooling-assistance-benefit/#determine-your-eligibility, AND
— You receive any of these benefits: Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits, Temporary Assistance (TA), or Code A Supplemental Security Income (SSI Living Alone).
Apply Online
Create a Human Resource Administration (HRA) account and start your application at a069-access.nyc.gov/accesshra. After you send in your application, you may be called for a phone interview to determine your eligibility.
Apply in Person
You can apply in person by going to an HRA Benefits Access Center or a community outreach location near you https://otda.ny.gov/programs/heap/contacts/default.asp?county=New%20York%20City#result.
— HEAP Cooling Application: www.nyc.gov/assets/hra/downloads/pdf/services/energy_assistance/HEAP%20COOLING%20APPLICATION.pdf
— Clinician Letter Templates to Document Medical Conditions: nyscheck.org/clinician_letters
— Summer Energy Saving Tips: www.energy.gov/energysaver/spring-and-summer-energy-saving-tips
— NYC Utility Assistance Programs and Resources: www.nyc.gov/assets/hpd/downloads/pdfs/services/nyc-utility-assistance-programs.pdf
— HEAP Benefits by the Office of Temporary and Disability Assistance OTDA: otda.ny.gov/programs/heap/#cooling-assistance