Ninth District Opportunity’s annual heating assistance program will kick off Nov. 1, when applicants can begin making reservations at 12:01 a.m. Residents in a 20-county region who are 65 and older or homebound due to health reasons are the first who will be able to apply for assistance when it starts at the beginning of next month. Hall, Dawson, Lumpkin, Forsyth, White, Habersham and Jackson are among the counties where residents can receive help. Eligibility is based on the income of all who live in the home, and the eligible households have to be responsible for their home heating costs.