Volunteer groups and officials in the town of Waldoboro are working out many of the issues needed to stabilize relief efforts for those at risk of losing heating resources this winter.
Selectman John Blamey updated the rest of the Board of Selectmen as to the efforts he and other volunteers have conducted during the board’s regular meeting Oct. 9.
Blamey said that Waldoboro resident Russell Anderson and two other volunteers have come forward to help process LIHEAP (Low Income Housing Energy Assistance Program) applications.
Blamey believes calls are still being patched forward to Augusta via the emergency telephone information number, 211.
According to Town Manager William Post, representatives from Midcoast Maine Community Action usually handle the 211 calls and applications for LIHEAP. Since the Maine State Housing Authority trained volunteers to process the applications early last month, the 211 calls made from Waldoboro were still being patched through to MaineHousing instead of the town, Post said.
Blamey said that Waldoboro Volunteers is in the process of finding out what needs to be done to register Waldoboro with the 211 number organization list.
The KeepMeWarm kits will be sent to Waldoboro by Oct. 25. Blamey said that in order to obtain the kits, an estimated 50 allocated for Lincoln County, a list of households requiring the kits needs to be made. He later stated during a telephone interview that MaineHousing needs this information to reduce the possibility of the duplication of efforts.
The kits will be given to teams of installers via the Cooperative Extension on Manktown Rd. and Blamey said that they didn’t want two installer teams going to the same households.
“We will be working with outreach groups and Waldoboro Volunteers to install the kits,” Blamey said.
He said that the kits should not be difficult to learn how to install, but, as each household is different, there will be some sort of learning process. The goal on the top tier of the volunteer list is to identify people’s needs in advance.
Blamey said that the emergency heating fund under LIHEAP has been loosened up to accept a higher income bracket. There will still be people who fall out of the General Assistance financial guidelines, he said, but this adjustment may help those who fall just over the line to qualify for general assistance.
“I feel we need to have some amount of money for a one time emergency fund,” he said.
Part of the plan is to set aside funding from the revenue amount that comes from the Philbrook Fund, but not to dip into the principal amount. This money is generated from interest that is earned, he said. Blamey and selectmen agreed that any funds acquired from the Philbrook Fund would be just for one time emergency heating needs.
Blamey also brought to light a point Public Works Director John Daigle made at the last selectmen’s meeting regarding heat. Daigle said that assistance should also apply for wood sources as well as oil.
In addition to maintaining contact with oil dealers, Blamey said that it is important to keep the same lines of communication open between emergency departments such as medical, police and fire and also the non-profit group Meals On Wheels.
He said that the volunteers who deliver food to client homes could notify the town about homes that are unusually cold. This notification system could identify those who might need assistance before dangerous scenarios have a chance to develop. Blamey said he has contacted this organization, asking them to make calls regarding this information to the town office.
