Giving Hope
and Help to Those in Need ...
Welcome to the Faces of Energy Assistance, a joint project of the National Fuel Funds Network, National Low Income Energy Consortium and National Energy Assistance Directors' Association. The "Faces Project" is a compendium — in both text format and videos — recounting the energy affordability challenges faced by people in need and how energy assistance programs from both public and nonprofit sources have helped to make a difference in their lives.
These are not illustrations created to make a point. They are the true stories of people who are struggling every day to pay their energy bills, who have to make the difficult choices between paying to heat and cool their homes or paying for food, medicine and other necessities of life.
The Faces Project contains information supplied by the clients of fuel funds,
other nonprofit organizations, government agencies and utility energy-assistance
programs who collaborate with NFFN, NLIEC and NEADA. Because the Faces of Energy
Assistance – the people who need help and receive help – change on a continuing
basis, the stories presented here will be updated regularly.
Below is a state list with hypertext links to stories from across the country.
Clicking on a state or U.S. territory will take you to the section of the page
containing real stories of energy-assistance recipients in that state or
territory. Our hope is that the Faces Project will serve as a convenient tool to
help you gain a better understanding of both why energy assistance is needed and
how people have been helped by energy assistance programs.
As a companion to the Faces of Energy Assistance, the National Energy Assistance Directors' Association has produced the Faces of LIHEAP, a series of video interviews with people whose lives have been impacted by the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program. Their stories show that LIHEAP remains an essential lifeline to families who are struggling — and persevering — through difficult times. Click here to visit the NEADA Faces of LIHEAP web page.
Alabama | Alaska | Arizona |
Arkansas | California |
Colorado |
Connecticut | Delaware | District of Columbia
Florida |
Georgia | Hawaii | Idaho | Illinois | Indiana |
Iowa | Kansas |
Kentucky | Louisiana | Maine | Maryland
Massachusetts | Michigan | Minnesota | Mississippi | Missouri | Montana |
Nebraska | Nevada | New Hampshire
New Jersey | New Mexico | New York | North Carolina | North Dakota | Ohio |
Oklahoma | Oregon | Pennsylvania
Rhode Island | South Carolina | South Dakota | Tennessee | Texas | Utah |
Vermont | Virginia | Washington
West Virginia | Wisconsin | Wyoming
Alabama
Alaska
Arizona
Arkansas
I'm a single mother of one daughter. In late 2006, I had a time when I was in
need. My car broke down, and I wasn't able to get to work. When you can't get to
work, you can't pay your phone bill, and I wasn't able to pay my utility bill. I
had a friend who was assisting me by taking (my daughter) to school and back. On
a Friday morning, my friend came in and needed to use my bathroom. I didn't let
her come to the door. She asked, “What's going on? Why don't you let me in the
house?” ... She came in and saw the lights were off and said, “What's going on?”
I told her, and she said, “Haven't you ever heard of CAPCA before?” Well, I
called and got information about what I needed to do to receive assistance. The
next Monday morning, she let me use her car, and I was able to go to CAPCA, and
I was able to receive help that day. … It was such a weight off my shoulders. …
You don't realize what electricity really means sometimes, if you've never not
had it. The ceiling fans don't run, the refrigerator doesn't turn off and on,
when you're getting ready for work in the morning -- no ironing your shirt, no
putting on your makeup, getting yourself ready. Your self confidence just drops
just a notch before you walk out that door because you're not able to really see
what you look like; and then you're worried: My child is at school. Is she going
to tell somebody the lights don't work at our house, and is somebody else going
to question that? The opportunity the LIHEAP program provided helped in more
ways than one: emotionally, financially and just giving me the opportunity to
know that there is something out here, that there are people who care and are
able to help us. – Ms. Jema Q., Little Rock, AR
California
Colorado
D. is used to taking care of herself. Raised in Gary, Indiana, along with her 10
brothers and sisters, she was taught to spend her time constructively – sewing,
reading and cooking. She even rearranged the furnishings in her house regularly,
much to her father’s dismay. She worked in the retail industry for 37 years
while raising four sons. Her second-oldest son died at age 23 of diabetes after
a life-long struggle with the disease. She moved to Colorado about 13 years ago
to be closer to her other sons and four grandchildren. The 67-year-old maintains
her own residence in Lakewood and stays busy volunteering with children’s
programs at her church and at The Children’s Hospital. She developed a talent
for storytelling while comforting her son during his countless hospital visits,
and she has hand-sewn a cast of toddler-sized dolls to act out stories she
created about kindness, thankfulness, honesty and appreciating the differences
in others. On a fixed income from a pension and social security benefits, she
reached a dilemma last spring when her stock market investments suffered major
declines and her budget just couldn’t stretch enough to pay her utility bill.
She didn’t want to impose on her sons, who have responsibilities of their own,
so she called a contact at the Seniors Resource Center in Wheat Ridge. With the
help of an Energy Outreach Colorado grant, her bill was paid. “I am not one to
ask for assistance unless I feel I really need it, and that was a really big
help,” she said. “I believe that we senior citizens have worked hard and paid
our dues, and we shouldn’t have to be uncomfortable in our home.”
It was a cold and snowy February day when S. and R., a senior Salida couple,
nearly ran out of heat. The 75-year-old S. was suffering complications from
hip-replacement surgery and hobbling around on a cane. R., 76, was on oxygen and
restricted to bed after being hospitalized for COPD attacks related to
emphysema. Three-foot high snow drifts surrounded their rural home. R., a truck
driver for 58 years with a flawless record, had recently been laid off. S., a
certified cardiovascular technician, wasn’t working due to her surgery. Because
of their ongoing health issues, including throat cancer and two heart attacks
for R. and chronic scoliosis for S., they were struggling to make ends meet.
They’d had their electricity shut off, run out of propane and were nearly out of
fuel for their wood stove. In desperation they contacted the Chaffee County
Department of Human Services, which directed them to the First Presbyterian
Church of Salida. The church is one of the emergency assistance organizations
that receive Energy Outreach Colorado funds. Church volunteers immediately
authorized payment of the couple’s overdue propane and electric bills and
arranged for the National Forest Service to provide two loads of free firewood.
Through another church program, they also authorized payment of a prescription
that R. had waited nearly a month to fill. “I couldn’t believe it – I just broke
down into tears,” said S.. “We’ve never had to ask for help before, we’ve always
been ones that give, but it had been one crazy thing or another and we were both
flat on our backs.”
Getting established as a young family is challenging in these tough economic
times, as S. well knows. The 26-year-old from Littleton was laid off from her
banking job in January 2008 – six months after her fiancé lost his job as a
night manager for a grocery chain. They survived for a year – and cared for her
fiance’s five-year-old son – on their savings and whatever temporary work they
could find. Fortunately, S. started a new job as a pricing administrator for an
agricultural company in early 2009. Now, with a baby on the way, she’s trying to
pay off bills and hoping her fiancé can find employment soon so they can proceed
with wedding plans. One bill they no longer need to worry about is their heating
bill. They suffered through two long periods when the natural gas service at
their rental home was shut off, then were denied help from the state’s
Low-Income Energy Assistance Program (LEAP) because their income was just $20
over the federal income guidelines. Finally, S. looked on the Internet for
energy assistance and contacted Energy Outreach Colorado for help. Within a
week, her utility account was credited to cover the past due amount and she was
set up on an average payment plan. “Without Energy Outreach we would still be
without heat and just waiting for summer to come,” she said, noting that they
resorted to heating water on the stove for baths and plugging in electric space
heaters to try to stay warm. “I was so surprised and ecstatic to find out we
were being helped,” she added. “We’d been dealing with this for so long. Now I
finally have a stable job with benefits and things are looking up.”
Connecticut
Delaware
District of Columbia
Florida
I am writing for my son and his family. He just came back from Iraq in October.
His amount of pay that he is making compared to what it was while he was on
active duty is extremely small. They are not able to meet their rent, utility
bills and car payment, much less the thought of being able to do Christmas for
their little girl or each other. My son is devastated and feels like a failure
that they are losing everything along with just being served eviction papers. ….
He feels that he spent 16 months away from his wife and 14-month-old daughter
for nothing. I have multiple sclerosis and on disability myself, so I feel
terrible that I am not able to help them ... I am hoping that you may have some
ideas of whom we can ask for help. – Mrs. CC, Eustice, FL
Georgia
I am a caregiver for my husband who has been ill for 7 years now. He is unable
to work but SSDI in Georgia is 3 years behind in hearing cases. We are trying to
get an emergency hearing from an Administrative Law Judge, but there is no date
set. Unfortunately, my power bill is $278 this month and when we contact our
local co-op they say they need a disconnect notice. But by the time I get this
to them they will have turned off the power. Also our local power company only
helps the elderly according to them last month. I am hoping you can guide me in
the right direction before it gets to the disconnect status. Thank in advance
for your time. – Mrs. JA, Gwinnett County, GA
Hawaii
Idaho
Illinois
Indiana
Iowa
I write in thanks for the funds provided to the state of Iowa for energy
assistance. I moved here from Puerto Rico in August 2008 seeking better health
care for a heart condition I developed. I am currently unemployed and have
applied for Social Security disability. I was told about the community action
agency Operation New View and how this agency can assist with your heating bill
with funds received from the U.S. Congress. I am more than grateful for all you
have done to have such a program that can help the poor. I also thank Operation
New View for being there in time of need. I have no income and need plenty of
heat; the medication I take keeps me feeling cold at all times. Operation New
View determined that I am eligible for a $550 assistance. For this, I give you
thanks from the bottom of my sick heart for a program that works, keeping me
warm. – Ms. LL, Dubuque, IA
I work at a grocery store, making $8 per hour after 10 years of employment. Itry
to stretch every peny to pay my bills in my home. The $500 assistance will help
enab le me to heat my home without worrying about the next bill. I keep my
thermostate set at 60 degrees to stretch my dollars and conserve energy! I have
very little saved up and have had to deplete my savings during this hard time.
Operation New View: Community Action Agency helped me tremendously (and) enabled
me to live without worry about one bill. – Ms. JR, Dyersville, IA
We live in northeast Iowa and just received $550 credit toward our fuel bill
through Operation New View: Community Action Agency. We have an oil furnace that
is almost 30 years old and have replaced parts several times. Yestrday
afternoon, the furnace quit again, and we had the repairman out, so the credit
is even more appreciated as the outside temperature went to 17 degrees last
night. Our fuel bills have been running almost $700 per fill (three times each
winter) the last several years, even though we keep the thermostat at 64
edegrees unless the wind is really high our the outside temperature drops below
32 degrees. Then, we turn the heat up to 65 or 66 degrees. My sister and I take
care of our disabled mother and have a limited income coming in, as it takes
both of us to take care of her. We are in our sixties, and she is 83. Thank you
from all of us. – Ms. GC, Dundee, IA
I am writing to thank you for the heating assistance. I work a few hours weekly
at Dubuque Goodwill, and the heating assistance covers the natural gas bill to
let me stay in my small apartment. I am very grateful for your help. Thank you!
P.S., my guardian helped me to write this letter. – Ms. KJ, Dubuque, IA
Kansas
Kentucky
Louisiana
Maine
Maryland
I'm sure there is a wide variety of diverse situations people find themselves in
that require them to seek energy assistance, but of course I can only speak of
my own. My husband and I are both hard working, attentive and loving parents of
two young children. ... After considering the cost of childcare, it made sense
that I work my two part-time jobs while the kids are at school and on the
weekends, which basically covers our groceries and gas. My husband … is an
amazingly competent and highly qualified computer professional. He has landed
contracts at such places as the National Institutes of Health, the Navy, the
Department of Commerce and National Geographic. Unfortunately, these have all
been 6-8 month contracts. His most recent contract was scheduled to go through
the end of January. So, you can imagine we were completely caught off guard when
he was informed in early December that their project's budget had run out. … The
unexpected lapse in income is hitting us hard. With a $900 mortgage, car
insurance and increasing fuel costs, we simply don't have the money to cover
it. So what could we do? Actually I Googled "Maryland Fuel Assistance" and found
a site … for Baltimore City. … Two days later, I went down, applied, and
immediately received a reasonable grant toward our gas and electric
bill. Whew!! What a relief!! We still need to pay some on it, and gladly will as
soon as we are able – (hopefully soon!) In the meantime, we can breathe a bit
easier thanks to LIHEAP. Thank you so much LIHEAP for providing the help you do
right when it is most needed! – Katie Villegas, Baltimore, MD
Massachusetts
Michigan
Minnesota
Mississippi
Missouri
Montana
Nebraska
Nevada
New Hampshire
New Jersey
The economic downturn hit my family hard. My husband owns a trucking company, so
when the economy took a turn for the worse, he was getting less and less work.
At the same time, his expenses were going up due to the high price of gasoline.
We were two months behind on our PSE&G bill last winter, which made us worry
that we would sink farther and farther into debt. I have a job, but my income
was not enough to catch up on our bills. I heard about NJ SHARES from the Mercer
County Hispanic Association in Trenton. When we got the grant to clear our
past-due energy bill, we were so, so relieved. Thank you NJ SHARES! – Claudia
Ramirez, Hamilton, NJ
I’ve been a single mother of three girls since my younger daughters, a set of
twins, were a year old. I don’t receive child support, and although I’ve always
had a steady job working for the State of New Jersey, it hasn’t been easy. My
twins were born with a devastating set of birth defects ... Their problems range
from severe scoliosis, to digestive system abnormalities, seizures and kidney
problems. Over the years, they’ve needed multiple reconstructive surgeries,
medical care and medication. Because of my job, health insurance was never a
problem, but childcare costs, as well as trips to and from doctors throughout
the state, has always been challenging. A few years ago, my mother became ill
and had to have a liver transplant. At varying times, she was in hospitals in
Philadelphia and Trenton, and also received rehabilitation in Princeton. She
went on disability, and I took over helping her pay her bills so she could keep
her home. Trying to take care of my mother’s health and finances, as well as
cope with all my daughters’ medical issues, took its toll on my finances. I
started to get behind on many of my bills. To complicate matters, one day on the
way home from the hospital in Philadelphia, I got in a car accident. The other
vehicle owner sued me, and his lawyer threatened to put a lien on our house. So
now I was running back and forth to lawyers and doctors, as well as working and
trying to take care of my daughters. Before long we had two mortgage default
notices and were behind on our utility bills. I heard about New Jersey SHARES
from a friend, who told me that the organization provides people in crisis with
grants to help them pay their utility bills. At the agency where I work, it’s my
job to help needy people. I couldn’t believe there was help for working people
too. NJ SHARES assisted my family through one of the most difficult crises of
our lives, and for that I am truly grateful. – Ms. M.V., Lawrence Township, NJ
After working for a local company for 15 years, I lost my job and had to go on
unemployment. We are a family of three, and with limited income it was getting
more and more difficult to keep up with our bills. I was paying our gas and
electric bill, but was unable to make the full payments. We soon fell behind. I
spoke with PSE&G and they referred me to NJ SHARES. We received a much-needed
grant and were able to clear our unpaid bills. It’s such a shock to suddenly
lose your job and have to face supporting a family on very little income. NJ
SHARES’ energy assistance programs are a huge help to New Jersey’s working
families. – Ramon Odenas, Hamilton, NJ
New Mexico
New York
North Carolina
North Dakota
Ohio
Oklahoma
Oregon
Pennsylvania
Rhode Island
South Carolina
South Dakota
Tennessee
Texas
Utah
Vermont
Virginia
Washington
West Virginia
Please help us. My electric is shut off now. My husband is disabled and blind as
of December 2006. We have been having so many problems We are using a generator
now, but it's too expensive. I had the money to pay the bill at the beginning of
the month. Our shut off date was Oct. 1, but I had called them and asked them to
wait till the 3rd. They wouldn't wait. … We have tried everywhere to get help:
churches, Salvation Army, Community Action, DHHR – you name it, we've tried it.
Now, it's been a month, and I had to use my whole check almost on the generator
again; gas will take the rest of our money. – Mrs. AN, Purgittsville, WV
Wisconsin
Wyoming