Heating assistance grants topic of meeting BY CHRISTINE VARNO Staff Writer LONG BRANCH - The Long Branch Concordance (LBC) chose a topic for its monthly meeting last week that could come in handy for residents as the winter months approach. The topic was "NJ SHARES Provides Hope, Help and Heat." At the LBC meeting held Sept. 13 at the Brookdale Community College annex (BCC) on Broadway, Mildred A. Mendez, an outreach coordinator with New Jersey Statewide Heating Assistance and Referral for Energy Service (NJ SHARES) discussed a program that assists New Jersey residents in paying their energy bills. "We try to prevent services from being interrupted," Mendez explained at the meeting. The LBC is a grass-roots collaborative that formed in March 2004 to address the needs of Long Branch residents. Each month, the LBC hosts a meeting to address issues in Long Branch and surrounding communities. This month focused on energy assistance. NJ SHARES, based in Ewing, is a statewide, not-for-profit corporation that provides assistance to New Jersey residents who are in need of temporary help in paying their energy bills because of a short-term crisis. Such a crisis, according to an NJ SHARES pamphlet, is often due to unforeseen circumstances, such as job loss or serious illness. The organization provides grants for gas and electric bills, but the grant money does not include oil, according to Mendez. According to Mendez, NJ SHARES provides one grant per household of up to $1,000 for residents who do not qualify for low-income assistance programs. "Gas is 69 percent higher than it was at this time last year and electric is 29 percent higher," Mendez said. "Even on a working person's income, it is difficult. This population never receives assistance." "Utilities are expensive," she added. The grant helps keep the lights and heat on in New Jersey residents' homes while they get back on their feet, according to Mendez. The organization receives applications for energy assistance grants through its network of almost 90 social service and community agencies at 134 locations throughout the state. Since NJ SHARES was created in 1998, it has provided more than $28.9 million in grants to more than 105,400 New Jersey households in need. "Our grants are a decent amount," Mendez explained. "I don't know where else you can go and get a $1,000 grant when you are working." For more information on NJ SHARES, call (609) 883-1626 or visit www.njshares.org. The next LBC meeting is scheduled for Oct. 11 at 2 p.m. at BCC. For more information on the LBC, call (732) 571-1670.