Opinion

Mayoral Notes: Helpful resources

By Charlene Lovett
By Charlene Lovett

Since the onset of the ongoing novel coronavirus pandemic, communities across the nation have been faced with numerous challenges. The human and economic impact of the virus has been felt by everyone to some degree. As we enter the colder months, it is likely that people will face additional hardships. The good news is that through the efforts of many people, there are resources to help. Here a just a few examples:

Food assistance

Earlier this year, the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) implemented a program to distribute produce to communities through state Food Banks. The New Hampshire Food Bank, in collaboration with the Claremont Soup Kitchen, visited Claremont for the first time in early November. The response was so overwhelming that the NH Food Bank scheduled additional visits through the rest of the year.

Each Tuesday, throughout December, the New Hampshire Food Bank will distribute USDA produce in Claremont via a mobile site at the Runnings parking lot from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. Anyone in the region needing food is welcome to participate. Community volunteers will direct traffic through the mobile site and deliver boxes to vehicles. Each box contains 30.5 pounds of dairy, meat and fresh produce.

Housing relief

Southwestern Community Services (SCS), serving both Cheshire and Sullivan County, is one of five Community Action Programs (CAP) that administers the New Hampshire Housing Relief Program. The program, designed to keep people from losing their housing or secure/maintain permanent housing, has two components: one-time assistance grants; and a short-term rental assistance.

The program will pay past-due rent and utilities, from April 1, 2020, forward, for households that lost income or experienced an increase of expenses due to COVID-19. There is no income limit, but applicants for this program are asked to provide some documentation to determine eligibility. Those who are eligible will be required to work with a case manager.

Those eligible for this program can receive a one-time grant of up to $2,500 if no other assistance is necessary to keep your home. If the one-time grant is not enough to maintain housing, then participants can receive assistance over the course of a few months. Assistance will gradually decrease as the participant becomes more financially stable. The program also assists those leaving a shelter situation with finding and maintaining permanent housing. Such assistance will also decrease over time as participants become financially stable.

Energy assistance

SCS Energy Services is comprised of the Fuel Assistance Program, the Electric Assistance Program, Neighbor Helping Neighbor and the Senior Energy Assistance Program. The Fuel Assistance Program provides financial assistance for heating and utility expenses to the elderly, handicapped and low-income residents. The program opens on Dec. 1 and closes on April 30 of each year. The Electric Assistance Program provides eligible utility customers with a discount on monthly electric bills. The discount is based on the household’s gross income and type of space heating used in the home. Applications are taken throughout the year. Both the Fuel and Electric Assistance Programs are income based.

The Neighbor Helping Neighbor Program provides funds for utility energy assistance, either electric or natural gas, to individuals who are experiencing hardships, have disconnects pending, and are ineligible for help from the Fuel Assistance Program. This nonprofit charitable funding is supported by corporate matching contributions from customers and employees of area utility companies. The Senior Energy Assistance Program provides energy assistance funds of up to $270 per elderly household for individuals, 60 years or older, who are ineligible for the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program.

For more information on housing relief or energy assistance, please visit the SCS website at scshelps.org.

Charlene Lovett is the mayor of Claremont and a 22-year Army veteran. She welcomes your feedback. Please email questions, comments or concerns to her at [email protected].

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