Thousands may be in the dark next week
Thousands of Minnesotans face having their utilities shut off next week, as the Cold Weather Rule ends.
Every year from Oct. 15 through April 15, consumers are protected from having their heat disconnected, as long as they apply for the protection program and work with their utility companies on a payment plan. But, once that grace period ends, customers with past due bills can and do have their services shut off.
In some cases, The Salvation Army’s HeatShare program can help. Our social services offices are already flooded with calls from people looking for assistance.
“We opened our HeatShare assistance program on the 30th of March, and within six days we had 75 applications,” said Emily Shopek, team lead at the N. Lyndale Ave. Salvation Army in Minneapolis.
At the E. Lake Street Salvation Army in Minneapolis, the calls are also pouring in, including one from an elderly couple who is $100 over the income guidelines for energy assistance.
“Tough story to say the least,” said Patty Estep, team lead there. “He suffered a stroke a few years back and she is his sole caretaker. To top it off, she is also caring for an adult daughter who lives with them, but is unable to work.”
It’s the same story at the Payne Ave. Salvation Army in St. Paul.
“April is always when this happens,” said Debra Lazenberry, team lead there. “The reality hits that many people haven’t paid anything at all over the winter, and they get a disconnect notice. They use up the county and energy assistance programs and then come to us for help.”
That often translates into people looking for thousands of dollars to pay past due bills.
“It breaks my heart, we can only do so much,” explained Lazenberry. “It is very sad when some families owe $3,000 and I have to tell them that we can’t help them, because the $400 we can assist them with isn’t going to help.”
She advises people in that situation to call their utility company and work out a payment plan.
Every year, The Salvation Army provides $1.5 million worth of assistance to over 4,000 households in Minnesota, giving each recipient an average of $370 to keep their homes warm.
“But that is just a drop in the bucket – many more families need our help,” said Mike McGlone HeatShare administrator. “About 40,000 people apply for HeatShare assistance every year, yet we can help only 10 percent of them.”
HeatShare is funded by your donations and with generous gifts from local companies like Ecolab.