Lower Natural Gas Prices Warm Charities Ahead of Winter
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Heating bills may soon shrink as the purchased gas component of the residential gas bill's market has settled, leading to the Public Service Commission decreasing the average amount that natural gas utilities are allowed to charge residents for this heating season by 19%.
While Wheeling residents can enjoy the lightened load on their wallets, charities that assist those who need help footing the bill for heating and other utilities can also breathe a sigh of relief.
The Salvation Army of Wheeling is one organization that will breathe easier, as they work with the Dollar Energy Fund to assist those in the area whose gas has been shut off or have shut-off notices.
"We've had a huge uptick in the area of people needing help for their gas bills," said Salvation Army of Wheeling commanding officer Lt. John Lawrence. "We recently brought back our program with Dollar Energy because of the high demand."
Recounting stories of the families in need he's served, Lawrence explained that for many, the focus is often to "take care of right now." For a single parent or grandparent taking care of multiple children, a high gas bill can "really set them back," he noted.
Lawrence pointed out that often, those in need are forced to let the amount owed each winter month for heating roll forward to create a hefty payment due by the end of the season.
"When a person has to make the decision on where their money goes, to pay for gas or food, they're going to choose food and let that gas bill roll over," explained Lawrence. "Hopefully, this will help them get to a point where they are regularly paying their bills on time."
The problem of accruing gas bills is a pressing issue for those the Salvation Army serves. Lawrence hopes that with decreased heating costs, the organization will be able to start taking care of the current bills customers have.
"It's not like they can go back and get rid of the costs they had to pay for last year, so right now, the bills have to be paid," said Lawrence. "For this season, we've already started assisting people to pay for past bills that have caused shut-offs they're currently having."
While gas bills have now gone down on the list of what the organization needs to address next, the list remains filled with other necessities, including medicine, electricity and even toys for Christmas.
"Some people we serve don't get gas bills and use electric heaters instead," added Lawrence. "So while gas bills may be lowering for some, electric bills will still be high for others."
As the organization is currently "all hands on deck" to provide residents assistance during the winter season, Lawrence explained it can be rare for residents to find a bill that is not increasing.
"Right now, food is probably the biggest barrier a person has to make a decision on where their money goes, and prices keep going up," said Lawrence. "Just in our Moundsville service center alone, we have doubled the amount of food distributed out of that location on a monthly basis."
Adding food prices have "skyrocketed" in the last three years, Lawrence believes a decrease in gas prices will have a trickle-down effect to help the organization fight food insecurity with more force.
"The decrease is a positive for those paying the bills, and it also helps us refocus our direction," said Lawrence. "Even with our Thanksgiving and Christmas gift cards we've been handing out for holiday meals, we've had to increase the dollar amount we give for food because the cost to pay for necessities of individuals and families has risen."