The official start to winter is just days away, and Suffolk County is anticipating a rise in heating aid requests for homeowners who can't afford their heating bills. According to Suffolk County's Department of Social Services (DSS), requests for food stamps have already gone up 20 percent. Officials at the DSS say that when food stamp requests go up, they tend to get more requests for the Home Energy Assistance Program (HEAP). While county officials say HEAP still has money to fund applicants, they're not sure just how many homeowners they will be able to help this year.