The staff at OFA is finishing one of its busiest winters ever and is planning ahead for a busy summer and year-round services for seniors.
HEAP helps pay heating bills for low-income senior citizens.
The program is funded by the state government. Last winter, OFA helped 1,625 senior citizen households receive HEAP assistance, up 23 percent from the previous winter. OFA Director Larry Schmidt is looking forward to beginning a new service this summer. While most OFA programs provide assistance directly to senior citizens, the new caregiver support program will provide assistance to the caregivers of homebound senior citizens. Under the Older Americans Act, the federal government has established new funding which OFA will use to pay for the service.