Newton, NC – Funding is now available to help Catawba County residents in crisis pay heating or cooling bills or secure heating or cooling resources from the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services’ Crisis Intervention Program (CIP).
Households may qualify for CIP assistance if they are behind on payment for their primary heating or cooling source; do not have timely and appropriate assistance available from another source; and do not have the resources to meet the expense. Qualifying guidelines also consider medical risk, age of residents, and certain situations associated with excessively high temperatures in the home.
Benefits for families may vary depending on the amount needed to alleviate the crisis. All payments are made directly to the vendor.
Households must apply in the county where they live and provide a past due bill for their heating or cooling, a picture ID, a Social Security card or number for everyone in the household, and income and resource information for everyone in the household.
Catawba County residents may apply for CIP assistance at Eastern Catawba Cooperative Christian Ministry (ECCCM), located at 245 East N Street in Newton, or online at www.ecccm.org. No appointment is needed. For more information, call ECCCM at (828) 465-1702.
The Crisis Intervention Program is funded federally by the Administration for Children and Families. Catawba County Social Services partners with ECCCM to facilitate the application process and distribute allocations directly to the vendor or utility company.
