APPLICATION PERIOD FOR LOW-INCOME ENERGY ASSISTANCE BEGINS NOVEMBER 2
The program runs for six months to help low-income households meet their winter heating costs

(Boulder County, Colo.) - The Low-Income Energy Assistance Program (LEAP) will begin accepting applications November 2, and will continue accepting applications through April 30, 2010.

LEAP assists low-income households with paying their winter heating bills. Income criteria and other eligibility factors must be met. The program is designed to pay the highest benefit to households with the highest heating costs and lowest income.

In 2008, the program processed 4,166 applications over the 6-month program period, representing an average monthly submission of nearly 700 applications. In that same time period, 3,392 applications were approved with an average benefit amount of $546.63 per household. 

In order to receive LEAP assistance one must meet the following requirements:

• Be a U.S. citizen or permanent legal resident
• Be a resident of Colorado
• Be a Boulder County resident
• Pay heating costs directly to an energy or fuel-source provider, or have heating costs included in your rent
• Meet the following gross monthly household income guidelines (below)

For more information on LEAP please visit www.bouldercounty.org/hhs/leap.htm or call (303) 678-6097. The Boulder County LEAP Office is located at 529 Coffman St., Suite 190 in Longmont

Additional information can be found at the Colorado LEAP website http://www.cdhs.state.co.us/leap/index.htm

Acme Solar Project Could Save up to 70% of Electrical Costs at no Cost to County

This last Spring the Boulder County Housing Authority installed solar electric (photovoltaic) panels on a four unit site in Louisville. The units are owned by Louisville Housing Authority and managed by Boulder County Housing & Human Services. This was the first of four such solar projects completed by the BCHHS Housing Rehabilitation Program in 2009.   The project highlights include:  

•       The estimated annual electricity produced by the solar electric panels is 13,120kW. The electricity produced by the panels is equivalent to the energy required to drive roundtrip from LA to NY in a vehicle such as a SUV which gets 20 MPG.

•         It is estimated that tenants will be able to offset 70% of their electrical usage depending on tenant conservation activities

•        The estimated cost savings per tenant is $1,380 per year. This also represents an estimated saving of 20,706 lbs of CO₂ and 4240 lbs of coal per year!

·      The installation had a total system cost of $48,762. Xcel Energy rebate paid for 70 % of this cost, 30 % was paid by an Energy Outreach Colorado grant. So, this project cost Boulder taxpayers 0%!

The Bella Energy crew installing modules.  This site also served as a short training session for some of our ‘green jobs’ workers that Workforce Boulder County.

For information on Solar Projects  contact Jim Wilson, Rehabilitation Coordinator at 720-564-2646 or jwilson@bouldercounty.org

Boulder County Child Support Enforcement Unit collected over $10,000,000 in support for kids in 2008

The Child Support Enforcement Unit (CSEU) works with local law enforcement to ensure children are properly cared for by receiving the financial support they are due.  Just in the month of July 2009, the CSEU office collected over $800,000 in support for kids. In 2008 the CSEU team of 24 served approximately 4700 cases resulting in $10,792,047.63 which otherwise may not have been collected.

CSEU ‘s  work involves locating parents, establishing paternity, putting  child support orders into effect  and  making sure the support orders are enforced .  CSEU services are available to parents or guardians of children who are Boulder County residents and who   seek assistance with these issues. The CSEU can also enforce child support orders at the request of other states and even other countries. We ensure compliance with the enforcement orders through the use of many tools, some of which include income withholding orders sent to employers as well as intercepting gambling winnings and tax refunds.

Clients and workers can reach the CSEU at 303-678-6300. The main office is at 529 Coffman, Suite 190 in Longmont and is open from 8am to 4:30pm, Monday through Friday. Applications can be picked up in our office, requested by phone, or downloaded from our website: www.bouldercounty.org/hhs/childsupport.htm

Longs Peak Energy Conservation's ENERGY SWEEPS HELP LONGMONT RESIDENTS

This letter was received last week in response to an energy sweep conducted by the Longs Peak Energy Conservation, a Boulder County Housing and Human Services program.

Dear Ms. Hollander,

I just wanted to say thank you to everyone that helped with the project at our home. We live in Longmont and recently we had our house insulated, received a new energy efficient refrigerator, and old light bulbs were replaced with new efficient ones. This program was a life saver for us as our energy bills were going up and up each year. With very little income, it was becoming very hard to pay all our bills.

The crews that worked on the house were so nice, polite and did a terrific job. The first thing we noticed after they insulated the house was how quiet it now is. We did turn on the furnace last week and am pleased to say the house came to temperature very quickly. We then turned the furnace off and the house stayed at temperature all day.  What a difference this is going to make this winter.

Please thank all the people for us. Again, thank you so much for all you have done for us and others on this program. I have recommended people to find out about the program and am trying to spread the word so others can be helped.

Sincerely,

JSA, Longmont Resident

To find out about energy sweeps visit http://www.buldercounty.orghhs/sweeps.htm