Utilities overwhelmed with requests for aid.

Byline: Scott Maben The Register-Guard

About 5,000 Lane County households are on waiting lists for federal aid in paying home heating bills. They include hundreds of seniors and residents with disabilities who usually receive the assistance by now.

The county has received only 40 percent of the money it was expecting and may not see another round of money until late January. Most social service agencies in the county that help disburse the funds are out of money and at a standstill.

"We had to put the brakes on so quickly compared to past years," said Mary Ellen Bennett, the county's coordinator of the Low-Income Energy Assistance Program.

That's putting a bind on households that struggle to pay electric, natural gas, oil or wood heating costs in the winter, Bennett said this week.

"Our waiting lists are piling up," she said.

First in line for help are households with a senior age 60 and older and households with a permanently disabled member. Thousands of other low-income families have asked for help, and many of them may not get it this season.

"We always counsel our participants to not bank on LIEAP," Bennett said. "This is a good example this year of why it's dicey."

Congress originally approved $2 billion nationwide for this year's program, but released only 40 percent of the money. That gave the county about $635,000, which will help about 2,540 households, Bennett said.

"We just burned right through that," she said.

Roughly 5,000 additional households have signed up for the program, which deposits a one-time payment of $125 to $320 directly into a household's utility account. Amounts vary based on individual factors.

Catholic Community Services, one of the main agencies that helps the county distribute the money, has 475 senior and disabled households still waiting for help and another 3,000 general households on a waiting list.

"It's very tough," said Shaunna Matcha, office manager for the agency. "Some of them really go into a panic."

Some residents are still waiting for aid they applied for last winter, Matcha said.

"When we open it up to the general public, we will be calling people from last year's waiting list that didn't get served," she said.

Debate on the release of additional LIEAP funds won't occur until Congress reconvenes in mid-January.

"If they don't approve the overall budget level, hopefully they will release at least a chunk of the money," Bennett said.

Households that can't get the federal aid may qualify for help through their utility. Most utilities offer some type of energy assistance program.

The shortage of LIEAP funds is making matters worse for low-income utility customers, said Carita Lively, who works in accounts receivable and customer service for Blachly-Lane Electric Cooperative.

"I think it's definitely taken its toll on them," Lively said. "There is more demand for our (Blachly Lane Energy Share) program this year."

The utility is fielding requests for help from five to 15 customers a day, she said.

"For us, that's a drastic jump," Lively said.

The county and the agencies it works with continue to offer energy assistance to households that would have a medical emergency if their power were shut off. In those cases, a medical professional must certify the risk.

The county received $1.7 million in LIEAP funds last year. Bennett said it would take about $6 million to help all 25,000 households in the county that would qualify for aid based on income levels.

To qualify, a household's total gross income must be at or below 60 percent of Oregon's median income. For a one-person household, gross monthly income must be $1,527 or less. For a household of four, the income must be $2,936 or less.

HOME HEATING HELP

Eight utilities offer low-income households one-time payments of $50 to $320 to help cover winter heating costs.

Blachly-Lane Electric Cooperative: Blachly Lane Energy Share, 688-8711

Central Lincoln PUD: Siuslaw Outreach Services, 997-2816

Emerald PUD: Emerald Rate Assistance Program, 682-3378; Helping Hands, 746-1583

Eugene Water & Electric Board: Energy Share, 689-6747, 345-3642 or 682-5318 (seniors)

Lane Electric Cooperative: Member Assistance Program, 484-1151

Northwest Natural Gas: Gas Assistance Program, 345-3642, 747-8349, 682-5318, 736-4444, 942-2176 or 998-3992; Oregon Low-Income Gas Assistance, 345-3642, 747-8349 or 942-2176

PacifiCorp: Oregon Heat, 942-2176 or 998-3992; Oregon Energy Assistance Program, 942-2176 or 345-3642

Springfield Utility Board: Project Share, 747-8349