Important Dates: 2023-2024 Cooling Assistance opened April 15, 2024. These dates change annually.
If you are eligible, you may receive HEAP Cooling Assistance for the purchase and installation of an air conditioner. In circumstances where an air conditioner cannot be safely installed, a fan will be provided.
Only one air conditioner or fan will be provided per applicant household.
You may be eligible for HEAP Cooling Assistance if:
- Your household's gross monthly income is at or below the current income guidelines for your household size, or
- You receive Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits, or
- You receive Temporary Assistance (TA), or
- You receive Code A Supplemental Security Income (SSI Living Alone), or
- You received a Regular HEAP benefit greater than $21 in the current program year or received a Regular benefit equal to $21 during the current program year and reside in government subsidized housing with heat included in your rent, and
- Your household contains at least one individual with a documented medical condition that is exacerbated by extreme heat, or
- Your household contains a vulnerable member based on their age (elderly age 60 years or older, or young children under age 6) which meet all other component eligibility criteria, and
- A member of your household is a United States Citizen or qualified alien, and
- You currently do not have a working air conditioner or the air conditioner you have is five years old or older, and
- You did not receive a HEAP funded air conditioner within the past five years.
You may apply for the HEAP Cooling Assistance through DSS. Call us at (914) 995-3333 or visit one of our District Offices.
Current HEAP Income Eligibility Guidelines
Additional Resources
- Extreme Heat Advice: NYSDOH webpage that includes information about applying for the HEAP Cooling benefit as well as some tips and advice to prevent heat related illness.
- Extreme Heat and Health in New York State: Provides information on extreme heat and its impacts on the health of New York State residents.
- Heat and Health Infographic: New Yorkers are at risk of heat-related illness because summer temperatures are warming and our bodies are not used to long periods of extreme heat. Learn more about extreme heat and what can be done to help people keep cool during the hottest days of the year.
- Heat Stress: Explore data on the heat stress hospitalizations and emergency department visits in New York State.
- County Heat and Health Profiles: Describes county temperature trends, summarizes heat-related health effects, identifies areas with populations at highest vulnerability to heat, and lists some available adaptation resources. The Profile can help communities prepare for and prevent heat-related illnesses.
- Heat Vulnerability Index Maps: Identifies areas of the state with populations who may be more vulnerable to heat. Heat vulnerabilities increase the risk that a person could experience a heat-related illness during periods of hot weather.