(NewsNation) — With swelling temperatures bringing an oppressive heat wave to much of the United States, a New York-based program is helping residents stay cool by supplying them with air conditioning units or fans.

Those upgrades are provided by the Home Energy Assistance Program (HEAP) Cooling Assistance benefit. The benefit is backed by federal dollars that are distributed by the state to various New York counties.

Eligible New Yorkers apply to have an air conditioning unit purchased and installed in their homes. If it’s not possible to get an AC unit, they can ask to get a ceiling fan installed.

“The cooling assistance program is a vital lifeline for countless New York families who often face prohibitively expensive cooling costs when temperatures inevitably rise,” New York Governor Kathy Hochul said in a statement announcing $15 million for the program. “As temperatures rise across the state, we are committed to ensuring that low-income and disadvantaged households have the means to stay safe, comfortable, and cool in their own homes.”  

In the last five years, the state has assisted 54,000 households.

Eligibility is based partly on a family’s maximum gross monthly income as one example, a family of four’s maximum gross monthly income can’t exceed $5,485 to be eligible.

Additional families are eligible under select circumstances, like if a family member has a documented medical condition that could be made worse by extreme heat.

But some advocates are arguing that the program is too meager. This year, applications for the benefit closed on July 14.

“Even though we are less than a month into summer, and have already set multiple records for the hottest day in recorded history, those struggling to pay their utility bills due to the added cost of fans and air-conditioning can no longer get assistance,” Sonal Jessel, Director of Policy for the climate group WE ACT for Environmental Justice, told Harlem World Magazine.