logo logo
Donate
    • Membership
    • Donate
  • Social Justice
    • Racial Justice
    • Climate Justice
    • Disability Justice
    • Economic Justice
    • Health Justice
    • Immigration
    • LGBTQ+
  • Civic News
  • Nonprofit Leadership
    • Board Governance
    • Equity-Centered Management
    • Finances
    • Fundraising
    • Human Resources
    • Organizational Culture
    • Philanthropy
    • Power Dynamics
    • Strategic Planning
    • Technology
  • CONTENT TYPES
  • Leading Edge Membership
  • Newsletters
  • Webinars

Frigid Temperatures and Poverty Meet Reduced Fuel Assistance Budgets

Ruth McCambridge
February 23, 2015

 

Heater

February 22, 2015;PBS NewsHour

In the face of the last month’s record-setting low temperatures and high snowfall, community organizations all over the country are struggling to keep up with the pace of calls for emergency energy assistance.

“We still have numerous applications that haven’t been processed yet, because they all come in at the same time,” says Mary Knittle, director of energy resources at the Worcester Community Action Council. Worcester, Massachusetts is now officially the snowiest city in the United States, with 107.7 inches so far this season against a yearly average for this date of 44.4. (But check for updates.)

“A lot of those people heat with utilities,” Knittle says, “and utilities won’t shut you off in the winter. So, we’re working as hard as we can to get them processed.” But the agency is out of benefits to pay those who deliver fuel, and they “probably process 100 calls a day, at least, for people who are looking for more benefits.”

According to Knittle, all the emergency energy assistance providers in the state of Massachusetts are together petitioning for additional funds. Not only have federal allocations to fuel assistance programs diminished from $5.1 billion in 2010 to $3.4 billion this fiscal year, as reflected in the following bar graph…

Energy Assistance
Source: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Image Credit: Daniel Finley/NewsHour Weekend

Sign up for our free newsletters

Subscribe to NPQ's newsletters to have our top stories delivered directly to your inbox.

By signing up, you agree to our privacy policy and terms of use, and to receive messages from NPQ and our partners.

…but the peculiar hardships caused by extreme weather this winter have affected household budgets negatively in other ways. In Massachusetts, schools have been closed for several days, causing additional expenses or missed workdays for many low-income households, and in and around Boston, public transport ground to a halt for extended periods, which also had an impact on low-wage workers.

A mild December mitigated some of the past month’s intensity of need, but as Ms. Knittle said, “The federal government gives money to the state every year to help households through the coldest times of winter, and most of the households have used up those fuel assistance benefits. In spite of the fact that the price of home heating oil is considerably lower than it was last year, the price of electricity and natural gas has increased considerably.”

A report for PBS NewsHour out of Asheville, N.C., describes the quandaries of a few residents making use of fuel assistance funds:

“Jorge Londono is 40 years old and has four kids. His single-family home is equipped with an oil heater. He told us he couldn’t afford the upfront cost of having the oil company deliver the minimum of 100 gallons, so his family opted to switch on electric space heaters instead. Now he’s facing two electric bills totaling more than $1,000.

“Debra Wolf, 36, came to Eblen Charities with her mother, Jackie Henry (left). Wolf owes back payments of $417 on her utility bill. She and her four kids have struggled since her husband’s work schedule was cut from 80 hours to 40 hours each week. His hour-long commute each day means gas—along with food and utilities—are straining the family budget.”

Fuel assistance programs limit the amounts that can be drawn down per family, but as Mr. Londono’s story exhibits, attempts by families to limit expenditures can backfire—not just in higher costs elsewhere, but in healthcare and other expenses as well as safety. Although energy companies may not cut off utilities in the dead of winter, many families worry about the kind of instability that February’s reduced incomes and increased fuel costs will mean for their families as the weather gets warmer and threats of shutoffs are more imminent.—Ruth McCambridge

 

About the author
Ruth McCambridge

Ruth is Editor Emerita of the Nonprofit Quarterly. Her background includes forty-five years of experience in nonprofits, primarily in organizations that mix grassroots community work with policy change. Beginning in the mid-1980s, Ruth spent a decade at the Boston Foundation, developing and implementing capacity building programs and advocating for grantmaking attention to constituent involvement.

More about: Corporations and InequalityEconomic DevelopmentNonprofit NewsPolicy

Our Voices Are Our Power.

Journalism, nonprofits, and multiracial democracy are under attack. At NPQ, we fight back by sharing stories and essential insights from nonprofit leaders and workers—and we pay every contributor.

Can you help us protect nonprofit voices?

Your support keeps truth alive when it matters most.
Every single dollar makes a difference.

Donate now
logo logo logo logo logo
See comments

You might also like
New York and Other States Move to Fix Nonprofit Contracting Delays
Lauren Girardin
Trump Budget Bill Spells Trouble for Nonprofits
Isaiah Thompson
How Trump’s “Big, Beautiful Bill” Hurts Youth Mental Health
Megan Kerns
Holding the Line for LGBTQ+ Youth: Community, Care, and Resistance
Deepa Iyer
Should For-Profit Corporations Exist?
Ananda Valenzuela and Steve Dubb
Trump Moves to Gut Low-Income Energy Assistance as Summer Heat Descends and Electricity Prices Rise
Conor Harrison, Elena Louder, Nikki Luke and Shelley Welton

Upcoming Webinars

Group Created with Sketch.
July 24th, 2:00 pm ET

Organizing in Divided Times

The Relational Infrastructure We Need to Protect Democracy

Register
Group Created with Sketch.
September 24th-25th, 2:00 pm ET

Advanced QuickBooks for Nonprofits

Expert Guidance for Experienced QuickBooks Users

Register

    
You might also like
An aerial view of New York City buildings during the daytime.
New York and Other States Move to Fix Nonprofit Contracting...
Lauren Girardin
US Capitol Building
Trump Budget Bill Spells Trouble for Nonprofits
Isaiah Thompson
Four young people stand in a parking lot, looking at the sunset. There are mountains and palm trees in the distance.
How Trump’s “Big, Beautiful Bill” Hurts Youth Mental...
Megan Kerns

Like what you see?

Subscribe to the NPQ newsletter to have our top stories delivered directly to your inbox.

See our newsletters

By signing up, you agree to our privacy policy and terms of use, and to receive messages from NPQ and our partners.

  • About
  • Advertise
  • Careers
  • Contact
  • Copyright
  • Donate
  • Editorial Policy
  • Funders
  • Submissions

We are using cookies to give you the best experience on our website.

 

Non Profit News | Nonprofit Quarterly
Powered by  GDPR Cookie Compliance
Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies so that we can provide you with the best user experience possible. Cookie information is stored in your browser and performs functions such as recognising you when you return to our website and helping our team to understand which sections of the website you find most interesting and useful.

Strictly Necessary Cookies

Strictly Necessary Cookie should be enabled at all times so that we can save your preferences for cookie settings.

If you disable this cookie, we will not be able to save your preferences. This means that every time you visit this website you will need to enable or disable cookies again.