STONINGTON – Town officials, expecting an increase in the number of people who will need heating assistance this winter, have started a fund that will supplement the local General Assistance fund and the federal LIHEAP, or Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program, funds.

The idea came from the townspeople, according to Town Manager Kathleen Billings-Pesaris, and townspeople have been generous in contributing to the fund. So far, they have donated about $8,500, Billings-Pesaris said.

“A lot of people have been very generous. We’ve had big donations and small ones and it’s all going to help people who are going to be needing it,” she said. “I’m kind of proud that people are stepping up to the plate.”

Billings-Pesaris and the selectmen anticipated the increased need back in March when officials were putting together the budget for town meeting. According to Billings-Pesaris, they increased the amount for the General Assistance account from its normal level of between $2,000 and $3,000 up to $5,000 for the coming year.

As oil prices continued to rise throughout the year, it became clear that even with the increase, that would not be enough, she said.

“People approached me and the selectmen,” she said. “They felt that a lot of people were going to have a difficult time this year.”

The selectmen and town manager talked over the situation and came up with the idea of a town-sponsored heating fund. When it came time to send out tax bills recently, they asked residents to chip in.

Although the funds are coming into the town, officials have not yet determined how best to distribute those funds. Both the local General Assistance program and the federal LIHEAP program are governed by strict eligibility guidelines that limit who can receive assistance.

“There are always people who clearly don’t qualify in the town and who couldn’t get LIHEAP,” Billings-Pesaris said. “With no [new] funds coming from Congress, there are going to be more people looking for help and the benefits are going to go down. There’s not many places for people to go.”

Other fundraising efforts are under way in town and on the island, including church groups and a benefit concert. At this point, none of those efforts is connected with the town fund, she said.

Initially, she said, officials thought the town fund would go to help people who didn’t qualify for the other programs. But Billings-Pesaris said they planned to wait awhile longer before developing a plan for distributing the funds. A lot will depend on how much money is available in the fund, and what the price of heating oil is. By waiting another month or so, she said, they will have a better idea of what the needs are.

“It’s always hard to have to tell somebody they don’t qualify,” she said. “I’m just tickled that we will be able to do something for people.”

For information about the town’s fund or to contribute, contact Billings-Pesaris at 367-2351.

rhewitt@bangordailynews.net

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