How Energy Assistance Services Help Families in Need
For the past few years, keeping stable housing and paying bills has been a struggle for many low-income individuals and families. One service The Salvation Army offers to clients in this predicament is Energy Assistance Services (EAS).
With the help of donors and partnerships with energy and gas agencies, they can receive utility assistance. Another source of funds is through the Michigan Energy Assistance Program (MEAP), which was first established in 2012 to provide energy assistance to low-income households in Michigan.
For some, EAS brings them to the door, but they stay for the many other services The Salvation Army provides.
This was the case for Jane in Farmington Hills. Her utilities were on the verge of being shut off and she didn’t know where to turn. She learned from a neighbor that The Salvation Army Farmington Hills Corps Community Center provides utility assistance.
“Once I got there, I found out that The Salvation Army does way more than that, and I got the kids involved in youth programs, after-school care, music camps, and community dinners. The Farmington Hills corps became our church,” Jane said.
The Petoskey corps has also helped multiple individuals and families with EAS. In the 2021-2022 fiscal year, six households received help for utilities. Their situations included:
- A family of six who lost two incomes due to COVID received Natural Gas assistance.
- A single mother of five children received help paying her electric bill.
- A family of four who lost income due to an injury received help paying their electric bill.
- A family of four who lost income due to a chronic illness received help with their Natural gas and electric bills.
Another program that often makes use of EAS is Pathway of Hope (POH), a program designed to help struggling families get back on their feet by assisting with unemployment, unstable housing and lack of education.
Hope, a single mother living in Jackson is one client who benefitted from POH:
“I was at a homeless shelter, and my time was running out. I just needed support at that point. I was in and out of motel rooms.”
Through POH, she was able to get a car, a place to live, and furniture.
“The housing was huge; I needed a place for me and my kids. So that was a really big thing,” Rogers said.
*Hope with one of her sons
Regarding MEAP, there are some changes in the works which will ensure clients like Jane and Hope continue to get the help they need.
The Michigan senate is discussing the repeal of Section 6 of the Michigan Energy Assistance Act to eliminate MEAP’s sunset, which had been previously planned. In layman’s terms, MEAP would continue to be available to low-income individuals in need.
So, whether clients need help with utilities, or much more, they are sure to find the help they need from EAS, POH, and the many other services that The Salvation Army offers.
If you would like to help give hope to these clients, your donations make a huge difference, and there are plenty of opportunities to volunteer. If you are in need of assistance, search your zip code and contact your local corps for services currently available.