AARP New York and the Public Utility Law Project of New York sent an open letter to Gov. Kathy Hochul on October 30, 2025 urgently requesting that the state opens the Home Energy Assistance Program (HEAP) as scheduled on November 3rd to ensure that New Yorkers in need receive heating assistance. The letter can be viewed in full below.
October 30, 2025
Honorable Kathy Hochul
Governor of the State of New York
Executive Chamber
NYS Capitol Building
Albany, NY 12224
Re: Providing New Yorkers in Need with Heating Assistance – HEAP
Dear Governor Hochul:
Our organizations applaud your leadership in providing a total investment of $106 million in new State funds for emergency food assistance that will reinforce New York’s network of vital food bank and pantry partners and provide millions of meals to hungry New Yorkers.
That leadership is urgently needed to address another crisis—ensuring people can heat and power their homes this heating season. We urge you to open the Home Energy Assistance Program (HEAP) as scheduled on November 3rd and to provide the necessary funding to maintain benefits until federal funds are restored.
If the funding issue is not resolved and the program cannot open on November 3, we believe the only responsible course of action would be for you to call for a statewide moratorium on utility service terminations for all residential electric, gas, and combination companies, including the Long Island Power Authority, until HEAP is restored and sorely needed benefits can once again reach eligible households.
We believe this is not the time to delay heating assistance. New York State is in the middle of an energy affordability crisis: more than 1.2 million households are currently over 60 days behind on their energy bills, collectively owing nearly $2 billion. In September alone, more than 53,000 terminations occurred statewide, about 1,800 individual households each day.
Our state’s largest utility, Con Edison, which serves households in New York City and Westchester County, has disconnected over 140,000 households for non-payment since January —an average of 15,500 households a month. This rate of termination has reached a historic peak, unmatched since the economic downturn of the late 2000s.
These risks extend beyond low-income households. If the federal government remains shut down, thousands of federal employees will lose income indefinitely, leaving them unable to meet basic expenses, including utility bills.
As you know, HEAP is a lifeline for millions of low-income New Yorkers, including older persons on fixed incomes, providing critical heating assistance during the winter months. According to your own data, the program served more than 1.5 million households last year, many of which include vulnerable individuals such as older adults.
Our state cannot sit idly by while service terminations continue without the safety net HEAP provides. We once again urge you to open HEAP as scheduled on November 3rd and provide the resources needed to protect New Yorkers from being left without heat this winter. If that is not possible, we urge you to initiate a statewide moratorium on utility service terminations for all energy utilities, including the Long Island Power Authority, until HEAP funds are restored.
Sincerely,
Beth Finkel, AARP NY State Director
Laurie Wheelock, PULP Executive Director
CC:
Rory Christian,
Chief Executive Officer
NYS Department of Public Service
Carrie Meek Gallagher
Chief Executive Officer
Long Island Power Authority
Barbara C. Guinn
Commissioner
Office of Temporary and Disability Assistance
Appendix
1. September 2025 Collections Activity Reports filed by the utilities in Case No. 91-M-0744.
