By Kerri Pepoy,Staff Writer

NORWAY – Communities in the Oxford Hills are trying to keep pace with an increased need for heating assistance this winter, but in some cases they cannot respond to residents seeking help because their income levels make them ineligible for aid.

Town officials in Paris, Norway and Oxford said a higher number of individuals and families have approached them this winter versus last year, seeking help with heating bills that have seen double-digit increases driven by higher oil prices.

In some cases, however, people have been turned away. “I’ve had to refuse a lot of people because they are over income and don’t qualify according to state guidelines,” Ellen Morrison, town clerk in Oxford, said recently.

Morrison oversees the town’s general assistance program and said she directs people to Community Concepts Inc. in South Paris if the town is unable to help.

The town has been able to help some residents, draining more of its general assistance funds. “There has been a 25 percent increase in what has been paid out,” Morrison said.

Norway Town Manager David Holt said he has seen a similar trend. “I’ve seen folks who don’t typically get assistance be in need,” he said. “People who don’t have high-paying jobs are most adversely affected; you certainly don’t need to be a rocket scientist to figure that out.”

The recent warmer weather may help ease the financial pain, but only slightly. The federal Energy Information Administration recently predicted that, due to the warmer weather, residential heating costs will be slightly less than what had been predicted six weeks ago.

But the agency estimated that households using fuel oil will pay, on average, $1,474 to heat their homes, 23 percent higher than last year.

“We’ve had quite a few more people come in for fuel,” said Sheila Giroux, general assistance administrator for the town of Paris.

Many area churches also are trying to help so people don’t fall through the cracks.

Jerry Ellingwood, treasurer of the Deacon Fund at Oxford Advent Christian in Oxford, said requests for heating assistance have “steadily increased” and the church has been able to help several area families with bills, thanks to church members who have donated generously to the fund.

“If our funds are looking good, we’ll try to help,” he said.

The Rev. Don Mayberry of the First Congregational Church in South Paris serves as treasurer of the Oxford Hills Area Clergy Association, which comprises about a dozen area churches.

The clergy association has a combined fund that has helped people pay their heating bills, he said, adding that the fund has dispersed “far more” dollars this winter versus last year.

Thanks to church member donations, the church’s own benevolence fund also has assisted people, said Mayberry. “We’ve been getting many, many more requests for help. … We’ve been able to help quite a lot since the heating season began,” he said.

Mayberry added he is dismayed by federal spending cuts that reduced heating assistance to the poor. “I don’t want to sound partisan. … I am a very patriotic individual,” he said. “But I don’t know what our federal government is thinking.”

Anyone interested in donating to the clergy association’s fund may do so by mailing a check to: The Rev. Don Mayberry, First Congregational Church, 17 E. Main St., South Paris, ME, 04281. Checks should be made payable to OHACA.