Snohomish County energy aid program out of money
Published 11:03 pm Thursday, January 10, 2008
EVERETT — The Snohomish County office that helps struggling low-income families stay warm has run out of money when those families need help the most — during the dead of winter.
It’s the first time in memory that the county’s Energy Assistance Program has run out of money so early.
“It’s always difficult to tell people in need that you don’t have sufficient funds to help them,” said Bill Beuscher, program supervisor. “It’s more difficult to tell them ‘no’ during the peak of the heating season.”
Beuscher’s office stopped taking new appointments for energy assistance on Wednesday. Unless federal emergency dollars are freed up, as many as 800 families likely won’t get help paying their Snohomish County PUD electricity bills this winter, he said. Another 200 Puget Sound Energy natural gas customers also likely will go without help.
The county has burned through all of the $1.4 million in federal Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program funding it expects to get this winter, Beuscher said. That money is enough to help nearly 3,500 families, but the expectation is that at least 800 more families will need help before the winter ends.
Snohomish County Executive Aaron Reardon on Tuesday asked local congressional leaders to petition President Bush to free up emergency energy assistance money to cover the gap. The money is already set aside; it simply requires a presidential spending authorization, said Christopher Schwarzen, Reardon’s spokesman.
Rep. Rick Larsen, D-Wash., has heard the call from the county and many other social service agencies that rely on federal money to help low-income families keep the heat on in winter. He said he wrote a letter asking Bush to release the emergency funding.
“High energy costs are taking a toll on Snohomish County families,” Larsen said. “It is simply unacceptable that any member of our community should be forced to choose between buying groceries and heating their home this winter.”
Families who have appointments with the county Energy Assistance Office are encouraged to keep them, Beuscher said. Although no new appointments are being made, the office projects that it does have money to help the 2,000 families it has made appointments with through March.
The typical family that qualifies for assistance receives roughly a $400 grant, Schwarzen said. That amount has increased substantially this year because it’s based on factors like the cost of living and the price of heating fuel, both of which are climbing.
The amount of federal dollars rolling into the county this year stayed flat, however, he said. That’s the reason why the county has run out of money so early this winter. Typically the energy assistance can make new appointments through the end of February.
So far this winter, 1,447 families have received help paying their power bills, Schwarzen said.
The energy assistance office also expects to fall short of helping all the Puget Sound Energy natural gas customers who need help, Beuscher said. He said a different funding source is running short for similar reasons.
The county expects to help 734 families pay their natural gas heating bills this winter. To meet the mark set last year, it needs money to help about 200 more families. Beuscher said more money also could be funneled into that program.
Energy assistance limited
The Snohomish County Energy Assistance Program on Wednesday stopped taking new appointments for energy assistance, but it projects it has money to help the 2,000 families who have appointments scheduled through March. Families who haven’t already gotten an appointment are encouraged to call 211, the community information line, for other ways to get help. They also are encouraged to call 425-388-3880 for updates on whether new funding becomes available.
