Vermont commits $15.3M to expand heating assistance amid high fuel prices
Vermont officials approved a $15.3 million state funding package to expand home heating aid programs on Friday. The state administers lump-sum seasonal fuel assistance benefits for financially qualifying households and also directs funds to a program that provides aid in crises when eligible people run out of fuel later in the heating season. The new state money approved Friday will increase the amount of seasonal aid that Vermont can provide this year for households heating with oil and kerosene, which have skyrocketed in price. More than half of the roughly 15,000 qualifying households across Vermont that received help from the program last year rely on those two fuel types, officials said. The package will also double the “crisis fuel” program’s capacity, allowing an extra 2,400 households to be able to receive payments to avoid a heating emergency this winter. Residential heating…
