Brendan Clancy, Portage Township trustee, has seen more people coming to his office for help with energy assistance this year.
“It’s disheartening,” Clancy said. “These are my neighbors and my friends. It’s difficult when you’re having seniors on fixed incomes and single moms who are trying to work and can’t pay their bills. The last place 90% of people who come in want to be is my office.”
The Portage Township Trustee’s Office is an energy assistance site, which is a federally funded program through the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, according to the office’s website. The grant provides the state with funds for low-income families to afford energy bills.
Through the energy assistance program, Portage Township has to help residents from anywhere in the state, Clancy said, but the majority come from within the township boundaries.
The trustee’s office is one of various organizations statewide that are helping people pay for energy bills, especially after heating bills are expected to increase this winter.
In November, the trustee’s office served about 210 through the program, Clancy said. The office helped 88 people last year, he added.
“Obviously, the majority of it was the week we kicked it off, which was around the time of the government being shut down, SNAP benefits disappearing, and all those things,” Clancy said.
Clancy believes the state provided the same amount of funding this year, he said, but last year, it was distributed to more people and reduced the amount that each household could receive.
“I think the hardest thing is not knowing what’s happening or how to help people,” Clancy said. “You don’t know what you can or can’t do based on whatever comes down the pipeline from the federal government.”
Kerwin Olson, executive director of the Citizens Action Coalition, said Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program, or LIHEAP, funds were released on Friday, but it will take time for money to be distributed.
Olson, in a statement Monday, said that NIPSCO bills are expected to increase about 16% this year compared to the previous year.
“Knowing that Indiana does have a winter disconnect moratorium in place for LIHEAP-qualified households relieves some concern,” Olson said. “However, additional support will be needed as affordability concerns deepen while LIHEAP funding remains flat and is not increasing commensurate with prices. Hopefully, state officials are taking note and will work to provide additional support to households in need as these same households struggle with the ever-increasing cost of living, including health care and putting food on the table. Hoosiers should not be forced to choose between eating and heating.”
This winter, NIPSCO is offering three programs for energy assistance: Hardship, SILVER — or Seniors in Indiana Low-Income and Vulnerable Energy Resources — and SERV — Supply Energy Resources to Veterans, according to the utility. The programs can provide up to $550 to NIPSCO eligible residential gas customers, and residents can apply through May 31 or when funds are exhausted.
The Hardship program provides gas bill assistance to residents whose household incomes are between 151% and 250% of the federal poverty level.
In Lake County, residents can apply for Hardship funds at South Lake County Community Services in Crown Point or at Catholic Charities in East Chicago, Gary and Hammond. Porter County residents can apply at Porter County Aging and Community Services in Valparaiso, according to NIPSCO.
The SERV program is available to active military and veteran customers, and the SILVER program is available to customers ages 60 and older. Residents can apply on NIPCSCO’s website.
Applications might take up to 30 business days to process, and a credit will be applied directly to the account once approved.
As of Oct. 31, NIPSCO has received more than 800 applications for the programs, and they were made available Oct. 1 rather than Dec. 1, like in previous years. During last year’s heating season, about 1,643 customers received assistance through the programs, according to the utility.
“It’s important for customers to be prepared for the winter heating season,” NIPSCO President and COO Vince Parisi said in a previous news release. “We encourage customers to explore the energy assistance programs available, which are there to help our most vulnerable community members stay safe and warm throughout the season.”
The Northwest Indiana Reinvestment Alliance also helps with energy assistance, according to a release, and residents can apply via phone call on Monday and Wednesday, or in-person at the Excel Center in Gary on Tuesday and Wednesday, or at the Urban League of Northwest Indiana on Thursday and Friday. Residents can also email applications to nwira2008@gmail.com, and applications are available online at nwira.org.
The Northwest Indiana Reinvestment Alliance did not respond to a request for comment about the program and how many residents it serves.
mwilkins@chicagotribune.com
