Energy assistance tackles economic chill

Local agencies offer aid to help keep low-income families warm this winter

By Erica Ryberg

The South County Spotlight, Nov 4, 2009

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Karie Duree’s phone has been ringing off the hook.

As energy services program director at Community Action Team, her job is to help connect low-income families with help paying their winter heating bills. And if call and walk-in volume – roughly 30 calls per day – is any indication, that assistance is sorely needed.

“It’s not a good time, I think, for anybody,” Duree said.

Duree said the agency is booked solid through the end of November with appointments for families from Columbia, Clatsop and Tillamook counties requesting the assistance. In order to qualify, those families need to earn 60 percent or less than Oregon’s median income, $40,563 for a family of four. Heating assistance started on Oct. 1 and continues until funding sources, including the federally funded Low Income Energy Assistance Program and local funding from United Way and NW Natural, run out. Last year, the funding held out until May.

“We served 2,935 households last year, and out of those 1,681 were in shutoff situations,” Duree said.

But it’s not so clear how long it will this year. Despite lower fuel costs – according to a NW Natural press release – decreased demand and increased production of natural gas spurred the utility to get approval from the Oregon Public Utility Commission to lower rates by 16 percent for residential customers. But the rate changes won’t impact the money Duree’s program offers because disbursements are based on household size and income rather than on energy prices.

“It’s not a matter of how much gas costs; it’s how many people are coming in requesting services,” Duree said.

Since the program’s focus is to provide low-income families with energy assistance, that assistance can take several forms.

“It helps with electric, gas, propane, gas, wood – any type of fuel,” Duree said.

The Community Action Team serves wood customers by working with two different wood vendors out of Longview, Wash., and Tillamook. Last year, it made 140 direct payments to 10 households – a tiny fraction of the households that the agency serves.

“We’re not seeing as many of them as we used to,” Duree said.

While NW Natural runs its assistance programs through the Community Action Team, the Columbia River PUD operates its own program, Give Light, Offer Warmth or GLOW. Low-income customers – again, those who earn 60 percent or less of the median income in Oregon – in shut-off situations are eligible for up to $100 per year in funding, which comes from employee and customer contributions as well as from private donations.

“We open up the GLOW anywhere from the November to December time frame, and keep it open until the March-April time frame to get them through the winter time,” said Susie Schwirse, customer accounts supervisor with the CRPUD.

The CRPUD helped 444 customers between January and May through the GLOW program. Last year, it helped 397 all year – an indication that increasing numbers of people are feeling the pinch.

Schwirse said there’s also a special program in place that waives the $7 monthly customer charge for low-income customers. Right now, Schwirse said, there are 1,424 families taking part in the program. She said accessing the program is as easy as looking for a flyer in your monthly bill or getting in touch with somebody in customer accounts at 503-397-0590.

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