PRNewswire - December 14, 2005

BOSTON, Dec. 14 /PRNewswire/ -- Heating costs are expected to rise this winter over last year's cost levels and are already higher now than last year at this time.

To ward off a damaging rise in homelessness in Massachusetts, AIDS Action Committee of Massachusetts, Inc. (AAC) offers its Utility Assistance Program for HUD-rated very-low-income people living with HIV/AIDS in seven Massachusetts counties: Suffolk, Middlesex, Plymouth, Norfolk, Bristol, Worcester and Essex. The project is funded by the Boston Public Health Commission and Department of Neighborhood Development for the City of Boston. Through Feb. 28, 2006, HIV positive people who are at risk of homelessness in these counties can receive financial support up to $500 to help pay for the utility that provides their home heat, whether gas, oil or electricity to maintain their current living arrangement.

"Housing is healthcare, and we don't want for people to experience the financial strain that would force them to choose between paying for rent and heat, especially given that the average annual income of participants is $7,500," said Susan Tannehill, Director of Client Services at AIDS Action Committee. "Over the past three heating seasons, we provided more than 580 low-income households in seven counties with nearly $296,000; this funding helps eliminate a major risk factor of homelessness," she added. "Our team has helped people living with HIV/AIDS stabilize their living situation, and we also use the opportunity to assess their needs for other support services."

Eligibility criteria are simple. There must be an HIV/AIDS diagnosis; the individual must have a current lease and must provide income documentation. Qualifying individuals can access this heat assistance through their case manager or by visiting AIDS Action Committee of Massachusetts.

AIDS Action pays the heating utility providers directly on behalf of qualifying applicants. The program allows an existing network of more than 30 other participating providers in the seven counties, including hospitals, mental health centers, community health centers and AIDS service organizations, to submit their qualifying clients' applications for assistance.

"We are able to amass this kind of network of providers to serve so many HIV positive people in the state because we already operate a year-round Rental Assistance Program, making great use of existing provider relationships to benefit program participants most effectively on such an urgent matter," Tannehill said.

Tannehill said that the Utility Assistance Program, managed by AAC's Todd Brown, serves people representing diverse ethnicities, families and backgrounds, and that the assistance is the bridge away from homelessness for program participants. Here are three participants she described:

* A 46-year-old man lives alone and receives public benefits in the amount of $693 per month. He applied for assistance with payment of his electric bill. At the time of his application, he was making his monthly payments and owed no back debt, but his monthly cost of electricity averaged $150. The Utility Assistance Program provided him with a payment of $500 to assist him for the remainder of the heating season.

* A 36-year-old woman lives with her husband and two teenage children. The family's combined household income is $1,037 a month. The client applied for assistance paying her gas bill. At the time of her application, the client had an average monthly bill of $89 and several months of unpaid back debt in the amount of $225. The Utility Assistance Program provided her with a payment of $500 to both pay down the existing back debt and provide a measure of ongoing assistance for the remainder of the heating season.

* A 55-year-old woman lives with her adult daughter and four young grandchildren. The family's combined household income is $1,105 per month. The client applied for assistance to pay her gas bill. At the time of her application, the client's average monthly bill was $400, and she had several months of unpaid back debt in the amount of $1,420. The Utility Assistance Program provided her with a payment of $500 toward her unpaid back debt.

AIDS Action Committee of Massachusetts, Inc., (AAC), New England's first and largest AIDS organization, is dedicated to stopping the spread of HIV/AIDS by preventing new infections and optimizing the health of those already infected. AAC provides free confidential services to men and women already living with HIV/AIDS, as well as conducts extensive educational and prevention outreach to those at risk of infection. AAC runs the only statewide AIDS Hotline (1.800.235.2331) and Hepatitis Hotline (1.888.443.4372). AAC also advocates for effective science-based prevention programs.

SOURCE AIDS Action Committee of Massachusetts, Inc.

Web Site: http://www.aac.org

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