November 2013 Meeting

NEXT MEETING: 8:30A THURSDAY, DECEMBER 12, 2013 AT WARREN COUNTY MUNICIPAL CENTER HUMAN SERVICES BUILDING

***NOTE: MEETING WILL BE ON THE 3RD FLOOR!!***

HAVE A HEART SCHOLARSHIP APPLICATIONS ARE DUE AT THIS MEETING!

1. Visiting Nurses Homecare located at 71 Glenwood Avenue in Queensbury is holding their annual Holiday Open House with a Holiday Buffet on Friday, Dec 20th from 8a-4p. For info, call: 798-1450.
2. Gorgeous Holiday Baskets are for sale at the SAIL Center on Glenwood! Stop in to purchase yours today!

• Member Agency Updates:

1. Kim Sopcczyk is now the director at Family Services and can be reached at 793-0797 or fsadirector@albany.twcbc.com. Family Services is now conducting their Adopt-A-Family program, and they have a food pantry for families as well. Contact Kim for more information. 
2. Erika Walker is now with the Adirondack Health Institute, which is a part of NYState of Health which has the new Insurance Marketplace & Portal. Erika can present educational programs at organizations. Contact her at ewalkerahi@medserv.net, or 761-0300 x31511.

• Interagency Updates:

1. Community Connections Day Committee needs members! Contact Judith McKinnon at jmck@sail-center.org to join us in planning this unique community outreach day! Community Connections will be held the Saturday before Mother's Day in May. It will be more of a "foodie" event to draw more people, and our Interagency tent will be closer to the Rotary Club events to take advantage of all of the foot traffic. Thanks to WORLCO for sponsoring this event once again this year!
2. Interagency Members discussed where to house the electronic version of the Membership Directory, for easy access by all Member Agencies and ease up updating contact information. Ideas welcome!
3. The Long Term Care Council held its Quarterly Meeting on Tues 11/26/13 from 9a-12noon at the Human Service Bldg at the Warren Cty Municipal Center.
4. The COMH meetings are the first Thursday of every month from 12noon-1pm at 230 Maple Street in Glens Falls. Contact Robert York for more information at 792-7143.

• Our Presenter for the November meeting was Joanne Zales of National Grid about this year's Home Energy Assistance Program:

1. HEAP, for primary heat, opens Monday November 18, 2013 and closes on March 17th, 2014. Call 800-342-3009 or www.mybenefits.ny.gov/
2. Emergency HEAP opens January of 2014
3. Social Services can be contacted for help regarding HEAP applications; customers enrolled in SSI are categorically eligible, but if they have changed residence address, they must call Dept of Social Svcs.
4. Once benefit is received, a 30-day hold is put on the account.
5. "Cold weather procedures" are put in place from November 1, 2013 thru April 15, 2014, which means that everyone gets 72-hours notice before disconnect can occur, over the phone or by a Collector in person.
6. A "moratorium" is placed on disconnects for everyone from Christmas thru New Year's Day.
7. If the temperature gets below 32-degrees, National Grid CANNOT disconnect power for anyone.
8. A "last resort" fund does exist, called "Care & Share", and is available now thru January 7, 2014 to those who are eligible for HEAP. Call 855-852-2736 or www.heartshare.org/programs/energy-assistance/care.html 
9. The "Empower Program" for those eligible for HEAP is available to get efficiency issues repaired/replaced to provide energy savings.
10. Other Services: Payment Agreement for eligible customers who have fallen behind on their payments and cannot pay their bill in full; Bill Extender Plan, which allows eligible customers who are on a fixed income (supplied by a monthly check), and whose check arrives after their bill's due date--10 extra days to pay their bill.
11. Good News! Natural gas prices look to be going down!