Volusia Could Extend Crisis Energy Assistance Program Contract For The Elderly

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Volusia County, FL - On Tuesday, the Volusia County Council will decide whether or not to provide a six-month extension for a program which provides emergency heating and cooling assistance for the elderly. The Emergency Home Energy Assistance for the Elderly program was approved by the Council in July of last year, and it provides crisis energy assistance to those households with at least one person, age 60 or older, experiencing a heating or cooling emergency. The original contract with the Northeast Florida Area on Aging was expected to run until March 31 of this year, but if Tuesday's measure is approved, it will extend the contract until September 30 of this year, according to County records. If the contract extension is approved, the budget for the program will also be increased by $12,860 for a total of $107,241. According to the County, the new contract would allocate $1,142 for administrative costs of the program, $15,970 would go toward operating costs, and $90,129 would be allocated for direct client assistance. Another item on the County Council's agenda is an ordinance that would reduce the required number of members of the Volusia County Affordable Housing Authority's advisory committee and reduce the amount of housing advisory committee meetings per year. Because Volusia receives annual State Housing Initiatives Partnership (SHIP) funds, it must have an established affordable housing advisory committee. If this ordinance is approved, it will reduce the required number of committee members from 11 to eight, and committee meetings would be required twice a year, as opposed to quarterly. Copyright Southern Stone Communications 2018.