State, Charities Help With Soaring Utility Costs

Olney residents are struggling to pay their electric and other utility bills, mirroring a statewide problem that is forcing some low-income Texans to cut back even on air conditioning during the summer heat.

Utility assistance was by far the most common need reported by people in the 76374 ZIP code who contacted Texas 211 during the year ending July 26, according to 211 data. Of 74 local requests for social services, 41.9 percent involved utilities, compared with 17.6 percent for food and 16.2 percent for housing and shelter.

Help is available locally and regionally.

Rolling Plains Management Corporation provides utility assistance to qualifying low-income households. Young County residents seeking assistance can also contact the Area Agency on Aging at 940-322-5281, Catholic Charities at 940-716-9669, Salvation Army Wichita County at 940-322-1365 or Interfaith Ministries at 940-322-9822. Residents can also search for available assistance through Findhelp.org or call 211.

Rolling Plains assists households with gross income below 150 percent of federal poverty guidelines. The organization also provides weatherization assistance, while USDA programs can help qualifying low-income and senior homeowners make improvements that reduce energy costs.

The need extends beyond Olney. Texas 211 received about 1.3 million requests statewide during the past year and provided assistance or referrals in about 1 million cases.

Housing pressures also appear to be growing. Requests for housing and shelter assistance began outpacing the previous year in November and reached 17 percent of Texas 211 requests last month. Among housing-related requests from the 76374 ZIP code, 58.3 percent involved rent assistance, while 16.7 percent involved home repair, maintenance or low-cost housing and 8.3 percent involved shelter.

High summer electric bills are creating difficult choices across Texas. A July survey commissioned by Advance America estimated that 18 percent of lower-income Texas households — about 586,000 households — regularly turn off their air conditioning at night to save money.

Those households reported going without nighttime air conditioning an average of 11 nights per month, illustrating how energy costs have become more than a matter of comfort during a Texas summer.