THE DANDELION CONNECTION
Ellicott Square Building., 295 Main Street Room 495, Buffalo, New York 14203
Volume 7 Issue 1      (716) 847-0655 ext. 402            January/February 1999
dandelion@nls.org    www.nls.org
Copyright 1998, Neighborhood Legal Services, Inc.

in this issue...
UTILITIES AND STAYING WARM
KEEPING WARM
QUESTIONS: EMERGENCY ASSISTANCE
COMMUNITY RESOURCES
Maggie’s corner
Poetry
Health watch: IRON
SECTION 8 ALERT/ SSI DANDELION PROJECT

UTILITIES & STAYING WARM
THIS WINTER

The weather is getting cold and your heating and electric bills are going up, up, up. And they will keep going up until around April–we hope. What can you do to keep yourself warm?

Well, according to Marge the Budget Queen and Eva, Budget Queen Extraordinairre–there’s plenty you can do to keep yourself warm and also keep those utility costs down.

Contact local utilities. Request an energy saving audit of your home or apartment. If you heat with gas, the gas company will inspect your home and tell you if your heating system is inefficient. They will also show you what you need to do to make your home or apartment more heat efficient.

Make your windows weather tight. First, get plastic to cover your windows. Instead of paying for plastic, try your local furniture/mattress store–the plastic that comes off the mattresses is free for the taking and it is heavy enough for your windows. Use a staple gun or regular nails to put the plastic over the window, and use newspaper to reduce drafts and to edge the plastic. Newspaper can reduce drafts throughout your house–just fold it thick and tack it over the cracks in your windows.

Although this may not look great, if your curtains are drawn, no one will ever know the plastic and newspaper are there!

Block drafts with throw rugs wedged under the doors. In the winter, area rugs will hold the heat. If you only have a little furniture, area rugs are a good investment.

Broken windows are a big heat drain. Cover cracks with something–even duct tape over the cracks will help keep the heat in your home. If you have storm windows, USE THEM. Slide them down for the winter before you put up your plastic sheeting. Don’t leave your storms sitting around in your attic or basement. If you don’t have any storm windows, contact your landlord and ask if he or she has any extra storm windows. Even though your landlord is not required by law to give you storm windows, if your landlord wants to keep you as a tenant, s/he may look around for some for you.

Your basement may be a heating gold mine. If you have a very warm basement, leave the door open. Hot air rises, and you want the heat in your home, not the basement.

Close off rooms that you don’t use. Block heat to rooms and hallways when not in use–don’t heat what you don’t use. If you don’t use the enclosed back porch, close off the enclosed porch door with newspaper and plastic sheeting.

Turn down the heat during the day when you are out of the house. Do not not lower the temperature to less than 60 degrees. You don’t want your pipes to freeze.

Shovel snow in towards your home, not away from it. Snow is a great natural insulator, and it can help trap heat inside your home.

Teach your children how to be aggressive energy-savers. Rewards for turning off lights and turning down heat when leaving the home may encourage them to assist you. Also, you may want to invest in thermal underwear. Thermal underwear could be worth its weight in gold if it keeps us from turning up the heat. Also, everyone should wear socks. For example, my kids want to walk around the house in shorts and no t-shirts and complain about the house being cold. I tell them to go get some clothes on!

Reduce your water bill. Take short showers instead of water guzzling baths. Install a flow controlling shower head. Also, keep your water heater at 140 degrees. It will clean just as efficiently.

Reduce your electric bill. Use a fluffy comforter instead of an electric blanket. Shut off lights if you are leaving the room for more than 15 minutes. If you use a coffee pot, transfer finished coffee to a thermos and turn the coffee pot off.

Reduce your phone bill. Turn a timer on when you begin long distance calls. Ask for a credit on your bill if your phone service is interrupted for 24 hours.

Reduce gasoline costs. Taking a bus and/or train is cheaper than driving and paying for parking.

If you are not on public assistance and your utilities have already been shut off, you may still be eligible for assistance. You should apply immediately for emergency assistance because in some cases it is only given to applicants for four months immediately proceeding your application. This means that if your gas was shut off in May, and you go to DSS for emergency utility assistance in November, you will not be eligible for emergency assistance.

In many cases, yes. If you are on assistance, and it is determined that your grant was used improperly, you may be recouped. If you are recouped, 10% or 15% of your grant each month will be taken out to repay the assistance received. If you are not on public assistance, depending on your household income, you may have to repay the grant by entering into a 12-month repayment agreement with the Department of Social Services. In some cases, DSS may be able to take a lien on your home.

If you fail to keep the repayment agreement and you need assistance at a future date, your application will be denied.

No. If you are sanctioned, you are not eligible for emergency assistance. For example, if you have failed to comply with work requirements, or if it was found that you quit your job, or were fired from your job and it was your own fault, you will not be eligible for emergency assistance.

In almost all instances, if the bill is not in your name and you make an application for emergency assistance, you will not receive assistance. This information may be important for victims of domestic violence. For instance, if your husband/boyfriend is abusive and he is the sole provider for the home and he decides to leave for good, or if you have him taken out of the home because of an Order of Protection and you need emergency assistance, you must be the customer of record in order to receive emergency assistance.

What if I obtained a cash flow sheet from National Fuel stating that I had a negative cash flow but DSS stated that I had a positive cash flow and refused to give me emergency assistance? What should I do?

Contact Neighborhood Legal Services at 847-0650. DSS cannot deny emergency assistance because you have a positive cash flow.

You must bring: (1) Proof of I.D. (2) Proof of all income and expenses for at least 8 weeks. (3)Receipts for current bills; rent, etc. (4) A completed application for emergency assistance, (5) A Deferred Payment Agreement - DPA, (6) A HEAP denial letter and (7) A deed to your house. You should report to the reception window as early as possible.

Information is power. When you deal with your heating situation, make sure you know as much as possible about your own situation and about the options you have. If you have any questions about the options below, call Project Dandelion.

Option #1: Deferred Payment Agreements (DPA): Compare your budget with your regular heating bill. If you will not have the money to pay off your utility bills in full (and you are definitely not alone if you are in this category) consider entering into a DPA with the utility company. A DPA is an agreement between you and your utility company to pay back bills in monthly installments. Your gas company will mail you a standard DPA which requires a down payment. Your utility company cannot require you to make a down payment if you can show that you cannot afford itand it is your first DPA. If you have little or no resources or income, you should get a DPA for the current balance plus $10.00 each month.

Option #2: HEAP. HEAP opened on November 16. If you have any questions about HEAP, call the HEAP office at 858-7644. Only one regular HEAP benefit will be paid per household, except in an emergency. If you have to apply, do so immediately, because funding is limited.

If you have an energy-related emergency after getting your HEAP benefit, you can apply for Emergency HEAP. An emergency includes a gas or electricity shut-off, or lack of fuel. Apply in person at the Rath Building. Your application should be taken on the day you go there.

Option #3: Weatherization. The Clarkson Center Weatherization Program may be able to assist you with weatherizing your home or apartment. Unfortunately, because of severe budget cuts, the waiting list is approximately two years long. However, they advise people to still contact their office and be placed on the waiting list. It is always possible that they could get increased funding and the wait could be shortened. There are income guidelines, but if someone in your household receives SSI, FA, Food Stamps or HEAP benefits, you are eligible. If you are a tenant, you need your landlord’s permission and agreement to pay a small portion of weatherization costs in order for you to receive weatherization. If you live in the city of Buffalo, you can contact the Clarkson Center at 831-8291. For those in Erie County, but outside of Buffalo, you may contact Supportive Services at 685-6252.

Option #4: The Afford/Ability Payment Plan. This plan allows qualified customers to make a monthly payment toward their Niagara Mohawk bill on the condition that they: (1) Pay the amount agreed upon every month; (2) Receive approval for HEAP grants toward their Niagara Mohawk account; and (3) Participate in a NIMO program that helps to manage energy use.

If the monthly Afford/Ability payments are made on a regular basis for twelve months, Niagara Mohawk will forgive 50% of your arrears (up to $250 per year.)

To be qualified, your monthly household expenses must be near, or more than your monthly income; and the person in your household whose name is on your NIMO bill must not receive Public Assistance. Call 800-443-1837 for more info.

Option #5: Care & Share Energy Fund: To receive Care & Share assistance, you must:

Be at least 60 years old or be getting
disability income; or
Have a medical emergency; and
Live in NIMO’s service territory; and
Have applied for HEAP regular and
emergency aid; and
Be out of heating fuel, or have received
a final termination notice of your energy bill.

These funds can be used to pay any overdue energy bill or for repairing essential heating equipment. You may contact Niagara Mohawk by calling 1-800-NIAGARA or 642-4272.

Option #6: Neighbor for Neighbor Heat Fund. The Neighbor for Neighbor Heat Fund provides grants that help people to prevent disconnection of their utility service; pay current or past due energy bills and purchase home heating fuel of any kind. You may qualify if you are 55 or older or you or a household member has a disability that reduces your income or you or a household member has a medical condition that would be aggravated by the loss of heat and you live in National Fuel’s service territory. You do not need to be a customer to qualify.

IRON: YOUR CHILD NEEDS IT
By Cheryl Nohejl, M.D., J.D.

Nutrition is more than just enough food. Your child needs important vitamins and nutrients to be healthy. Low income families can have trouble feeding their children enough iron. However, there are cheap ways to get enough iron into your child’s diet, and you will see the difference in your child!!!!

Important Facts About Iron for Kids
    *Children need calories and enough protein, vitamins, and minerals to help their bones grow and their minds develop.
    *A diet containing fresh vegetables, fruit and meat or beans, peas or peanut butter, will give your child what he or she needs.
    *Watch out for iron!!!! Many children do not receive enough iron. Iron is very important for your child’s development.

Why Iron is Important
    *Iron deficiency, particularly in the under two-year-old, can block your child’s mental development and may not be completely reversible.
    *Iron deficiency is the most common cause of anemia in children.
    *Iron deficiency can make a child extremely irritable, fussy, and difficult to deal with.
    *Iron deficiency can trigger the eating of non-food items like soil or lead-containing paint.
    *Iron deficiency may increase the number of infections that a child has.

Make Sure YOUR Baby Gets Enough Iron
    Iron deficiency is totally preventable through the use of an iron fortified formula for infants. Using evaporated milk or cow’s milk in place of formula fails to provide adequate iron and can make an existing iron deficiency worse.
    If you feed your baby your own milk, she or he will get the right amount of iron.

Your Older Kids Need Iron Too: Here’s How to Make Sure They Get Enough
    Make sure your older child doesn’t have too much milk or Kool-Aid between meals - he or she won’t eat more healthy foods at meal times. Children over one year should not get more than a quart of milk a day.
    A younger child should have three meals plus two or three planned snacks between meals.
    A good snack is a piece of fruit or juice or cheese. Peanut butter on apple slices tastes great and is loaded with iron.
    Most of the cereals on the WIC list provide 100% of the daily requirements for iron for children. Such cereals include Cream of Wheat, Post Raisin Bran, Total, and others. The side panel will tell you how much iron is in the food.
    Avoid expensive "junk" food like chips, candy bars, and pop. They fill kids up so they can’t get good nutrition from the food you make for meals.
    Get advice from a doctor before giving vitamins with iron. A child should be able to get all his or her nutrition through diet without vitamins. Vitamins , especially those with iron, can cause serious illness if a child accidentally takes a large amount, so keep the vitamins in a safe place and never call them "candy."

The Good News About Iron:
It Protects Kids
    Preventing iron deficiency may lessen some effects of slight lead level elevations!
    Prevention is the key: once a child is iron deficient, he or she may lose mental development potential that cannot be regained.
    The good news is, that with regular meals of healthy foods, your kids will get the iron that they need to grow up strong, they will have much better moods, and they may be protected to some extent from lead.

    If you get Section 8 or a Belmont subsidy, you may already know of the changes that have been made. If not, some of the changes are listed below. In order to learn all of the changes you should speak with your Section 8 or Belmont caseworker.

    Your landlord does not have to provide good cause for termination of the lease after the first year of tenancy.

    In the past, tenants who got a subsidy were given either 60, 90, and 120 days notices depending on the reason for termination of the Section 8 lease. For example, if a landlord gave a tenant notice that they were terminating the lease for financial reasons, the tenant would be given at least 90 days to vacate the premises. Now regardless of the reason for terminating the lease, each tenant is only given 30 days.

    A Section 8 or Belmont lease will no longer supercede a standard lease. So if your lease expires, your landlord can terminate your tenancy even if there is no reason.

    If a Section 8 or Belmont tenant is EVICTED in a COURT PROCEEDING they may lose their subsidy. The tenant may not be allowed to have an Administrative Hearing to challenge the termination. ( We suggest that you request the hearing anyway. If you are denied, ask for the denial to be put in writing and contact the housing unit at NLS for a review of your denial.)

    Please feel free to contact the housing unit if you have any problems or questions regarding the changes with Section 8 or Belmont subsidies.

Beginning December 1,1998, Project Dandelion will provide Benefits Counseling to people with disabilities who receive disability benefits under either the SSD or SSI programs. The project will be set up to work with SSI and SSD recipients who are working or are seeking to work. The program is open to any person with a disability who lives in Erie County, is a recipient of either SSI or SSD and wants to know how work activities will affect their benefits. Anyone interested can contact the Dandelion/SSI Return to Work Project at 847-0650 on Mondays and Tuesdays from 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.

The housing unit at DSS may be able to help if you are facing an eviction. To avoid making several return trips to window 7 at the Rath Building, it is important to bring information from your landlord.

    Most importantly, you must have a written notice from your landlord, not just a verbal threat. The notice must include your full name and address and the amount of rent that you pay each month. Also, if there are any rental arrears owed, that amount must be broken down month by month showing exactly how much is owed for each month. This is particularly important if partial payments have been paid on the rent at any time. Also, make sure that your landlord signs, dates and puts his or her phone number on the statement.

Have you ever thought just a wee little bit
of how it would seem to be a misfit,
And how you would feel if YOU had to sit
        On the other side of the desk?

Have you ever looked at a man who seemed a bum,
As he sat before you, nervous...dumb...
And thought of the courage it took to come
        To the other side of the desk?

Have you thought of his dreams that went astray,
Of the hard, real facts of his every day,
Of the things in his life that make him stay
        On the other side of the desk?

Have you thought to yourself, "It could be I,
If the good things in life had passed me by,
And maybe I’d bluster and maybe I’d lie
        From the other side of the desk?

Did you make him feel he was full of greed,
Make him ashamed of his race or creed,
Or did you reach out to him in his need
        To the other side of the desk?

May God give us the wisdom and lots of it,
And much compassion and plenty of grit,
So that we may be kinder to those who sit
        On the other side of the desk.

                                            -Anonymous

Would you like a free in-house training on welfare reform? If you have a group of at least 10 people who would like more information on Project Dandelion, budget counseling or welfare reform, call Project Dandelion at 847- 0650 x 402.

POTLUCK LUNCHEON                                            JANUARY 26, 1999
CHILD SUPPORT/CUSTODY/VISITATION           FEBRUARY 2, 1999
PUBLIC ASSISTANCE & MINORS                       FEBRUARY 23, 1999
SSI/SSDI BENEFITS COUNSELLING                         MARCH 16, 1999

Project Dandelion wishes everyone a wonderful holiday season and a healthy and happy new year.....

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