Some help may be on the way for homeowners and renters this winter as utility prices are expected to rise significantly. 

Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand was in White Plains Tuesday touting a plan to keep New Yorkers safe and warm this upcoming season.

The Home Energy Assistance Program can help eligible New Yorkers pay off part of their utilities this winter.

A total of $60 million in federal funds have been set aside for the program, which provides monthly payments during cold winter months and even the heat of the summer for low- and fixed-income residents.

Lawmakers expect this to help more than 111,000 households in the Hudson Valley.

The funding itself isn't new, but the timing is urgently critical with energy experts predicting people could see a 40% increase in their utility bills this winter.

It can force many to choose between staying warm and other necessities.

"It's incumbent on each one of us to make sure that our constituents can be safe this winter and be able to heat their homes, and buy food, and buy medicine, and not have to make those difficult decisions," said Gillibrand.