Continuously serving Kosciusko County since 1854
Even though the winter months are over, some area residents are still having difficulty dealing with their utility bills.
And according to Ken Locke, Salvation Army, it's not the lower income residents having so much trouble now as it is the working poor.
"I've never seen anything like this," said Locke.
Locke said even in the third week of May, the Salvation Army is still seeing people needing assistance. Friday morning alone, he said, four families came in for assistance. Some families have bills of $800 to $900 they still owe, he said.
"We've been able to adjust our budget a little bit" to help them, he said.
Salvation Army is coordinating with NIPSCO to help the working poor pay their bills. To qualify for the Salvation Army Supplemental Energy Assistance Fund, a person must not have qualified for Project Safe or Gift of Warmth. They also must be 176 to 250 percent above the poverty level to qualify and NIPSCO must be their supplier of gas. For more information about qualifying for the Energy Assistance Fund, call the Salvation Army at 267-5361.
The program is established until June 30, but Locke said, "The way it's going, we have no idea" when it will actually end.
With 18 locations in the NIPSCO service area, the Salvation Army is able to offer the energy assistance. The Salvation Army in Warsaw is assisting those who qualify in Marshall, Kosciusko and Whitley counties.
Locke said, "Fortunately, since the Salvation Army is a statewide organization, we were able to (offer) this through NIPSCO."
