NORWICH – Thanks to funding from the New York State Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP), Opportunities for Chenango is granting qualifying residents an air conditioner to help battle the summer’s extraordinary heat.

Quaranta Housing Services – the housing assistance program of OFC – announced that funding for air conditioners is available to county residents with a low income and with chronic or acute medical conditions. New York set aside $3 million in funding for the program, which was made available to all 62 counties in the state earlier this month.

To qualify, residents must meet specific criteria, which includes: Meeting LIHEAP low-income guidelines (the annual income to qualify for a four-person household is $49,500); having at least one household member who has been diagnosed with a chronic or acute medical condition that is aggravated by exposure to extreme heat; and a doctor providing written documentation – dated within six months – that air conditioning assistance is critical to prevent a heat emergency.