Impact NW Lives Up to Its Name with Its Energy Assistance Program
Posted on October 18, 2011 by Emmaline Pohnl
Tags, Consumers and Utility Customers
Last week, CUB staff had the opportunity to sit down with Tyler Richardson, the Energy Assistance Coordinator from Impact NW. Impact NW is a regional social service agency offering a diverse array of support services to vulnerable populations in the Multnomah, Clackamas, Washington, and Clark counties. Formerly Portland Impact, Impact NW has grown since its inception in 1966 to now serve 60,000 residents each year. Some of the services the non-profit provides include emergency housing assistance, a Healthy Start program for children ages 0-3, mentoring for teens, job-training programs, and energy assistance.
Richardson came to CUB to share information about the Energy Assistance program he manages, which keeps the lights, heat, and water on for thousands of low-income Oregonians struggling to pay their bills. To be granted assistance, a resident must contact the Regional Service Center in their area and set up an in-person, thirty minute interview with a staff member. At this meeting, the resident’s situation is discussed in detail and an amount of financial assistance is calculated. The amount distributed can vary widely depending upon the resident’s energy provider and the payment owed. Over 6,000 households receive assistance each year through Impact NW’s program.
The need for energy assistance in the region is high and ever increasing, according to Richardson, who described how the weak economy and high unemployment is making it even more difficult for individuals to afford their energy bills. A 2010 report released by the Oregon Energy Coordinators illustrates the demand for assistance, analyzing data gathered from seventeen Community Action Agencies across the state. In one week in January 2010, they recorded 20,779 calls requesting some form of energy assistance. If averaged among the seventeen participating agencies, each agency took around 174 calls per day requesting aid.
According to this same report, only 26% of the total number of Oregon households eligible for assistance through the federally controlled Low Income Heating and Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) and statewide Oregon Energy Assistance Program (OEAP) are able to be served due to lack of funding. Similarly, Richardson stated that within Impact NW’s service territory, he estimates they are only able to serve one-third of eligible residents due to budget constraints. As another winter approaches, Richardson anticipates more requests for assistance and more frustration about having to turn people away, particularly those who so desperately need it.
Impact NW strives to help residents in the program lower their energy bills through energy efficiency education. In the past, Multnomah County provided energy saving kits that Impact NW distributed to program participants. Funding cuts, however, ended that giveaway program and now Impact NW administrators rely on the brief time during the assessment interview to teach residents simple tricks to conserve energy and encourage them to seek additional resources from other community agencies.
The direct service to residents that Impact NW offers is intimately connected to the regulatory work of CUB. We work tirelessly to prevent Oregonians from being subjected to unnecessary and unfair rate increases for their energy use. If residents are still unable to afford their energy bills, Impact NW acts as a safety net, catching them before their electricity or heat is shut off. Although working from different sides of the equation, CUB and Impact NW are both trying to make sure that all Oregonians are warm and safe in their homes.
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03/27/17 | 0 Comments | Impact NW Lives Up to Its Name with Its Energy Assistance Program