Antigonish program helps those who cannot afford to keep their homes warm

A sharp increase in the price of fuelis hitting Nova Scotianswhose homes are kept warm with furnace oil especially hard this winter, with no end in sight.

In Antigonish, the chair of a homeheatingfund for low-income earnerssays the ballooning cost of fuel is the main source of stress for his clients.

"There's all kinds of factors going into this," said Michael MacDonaldof the Antigonish Emergency Fuel Fund. "Some of which have to do with the current mess in Europe, but some of which preceded it completely. You know, the COVID impact is stillsignificant."

The fund was createdin 2008 when the global financial crisis forced a spike in fuel costs.

It offers emergency funding between January and April to about 200 households in the town of Antigonish and the surrounding county where home heating fuel (diesel) sells for $1.92 per litre. Those 200 homes, MacDonald figures, makeup about 20 per cent of the population in the area.

"We've got two or three trailer parks in Antigonish, and a lot of them with older units that are heated by oil-fired furnaces. They tend to be not very good in terms of thermal insulation," he said.

Many reasons why people struggle

The fund also helps cover heating costs related to electricityand wood.During the past 14 years, MacDonaldsaid he's learned there are many reasons why some people struggle to heat their homes.

In some cases, it's an unexpected health issue.MacDonald saidhe personally approved $3,000 for two cases, includinga senior with cancer who just completed two rounds of chemotherapy.

"His prognosis isn't very good and he's worried about his power being cut off, so situations like that we give priority to," said MacDonald.

Overall, he's noticed fewer and fewer seniors asking for help as more and more of them take advantage of the federal guaranteed income supplement. Today,single mothers with school-aged kidsrepresent more than half of MacDonald'sclientele.

There areno real criteria to qualify for the emergency fuel fund; if the group is convinced someone needs emergency help, they will often get it.

"On the other hand, we do have income criteria in order to screen out what we've politely called 'bargain hunters.'You know, folks looking for a deal," said MacDonald.

Other assistance programs available

There are other options available to those who need help heating their homes this winter.

Nova Scotia'sHeating Assistance Rebate Program offers up to $200 in heating rebates to homeowners and renters,no matter their heating type. The program is open to low-income Nova Scotians who are on income assistance, or individuals who earn less than $29,000 and families who earn less than $44,000.

The program received48,266 applications in 2020-21. As of March 7,the province received 46,849 applications for 2021-22, with three weeks remaining before the application deadline on March 31.

The Salvation Army also has two funds that low-income earners can draw from.

The COVIDHeat Fund 2022 offers a maximum of $800 for familieswith a household income of $29,000 or less. There is also the Salvation Army Heat Fund, which individuals or families can access once a year. Itmaxes out at $400 per household.