A North Country assembly member is asking for the release of more federal funding for heating assistance.

Assemblywoman Addie J. Russell (D-Theresa) requested the release of additional funding from the Federal Department of Health and Human Services for the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) in a letter sent to Secretary Sylvia Mathews Burwell on Friday.

Russell represents the 116th “River District,” which includes all St. Lawrence County towns along the St. Lawrence River (Massena, Ogdensburg, Louisville, Waddington, Lisbon, Oswegatchie, Morristown, and Hammond) plus the towns of Canton, Potsdam, Rossie, Macomb, and DePeyster, and northern Jefferson County not including Watertown.

“With temperatures regularly dipping below zero this winter, it’s essential that we provide further assistance for vulnerable people within our communities,” Russell said. “A properly heated home is a basic necessity.”

In the letter Russell noted that dangerously frigid temperatures are putting North Country families and seniors at risk. Agencies within St. Lawrence and Jefferson counties are exhausting their HEAP funds for the winter, Russell said in a press release. That leaves them unable to provide further assistance for those who need it most. Russell has been in contact with the county social services and the many North Country families who have been reaching out to her and her office regarding HEAP.

With poverty rates in both counties higher than the state average -- 26 percent of children under 18 in St. Lawrence County live in poverty -- many people are being forced to chose between a heated home and food on the table.

“Additional HEAP funding will allow the most vulnerable members of our community – children and seniors – to stay warm and safe during this harsh winter,” Russell said.

Last year, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services released $454 million in LIHEAP funding to states, providing an additional $50.6 million for New York.

HEAP is a federally funded program administered in New York through the state Office of Temporary and Disability Assistance (OTDA).