By Aleasha Sandley, Herald Bulletin Staff Writer
ANDERSON — Among all the upheaval in their lives since being displaced by Hurricane Katrina, Roy and Elizabeth “Lizzy” Carrere have had to endure Indiana winters since the catastrophic weather event brought them here three years ago.
The Carreres, who have been married for 50 years, have found their way back to a sense of normalcy after staying with Madison County Superior Court 1 Judge Dennis Carroll upon arriving in Indiana and later moving into their own house on Central Avenue.
Roy Carrere, a retired contractor from New Orleans, remodeled their new home from top to bottom, but after a cold, drafty winter there last year, the Carreres needed help keeping their home warm and utility bills low.
“It was so drafty and just a mess,” Lizzy Carrere, 81, said.
The couple’s problems were solved when they were nominated to Anderson’s Community Action Council to have their home weatherized for the winter. The council selects families who already are receiving energy assistance — with emphasis on the elderly, disabled or families with small children — to have their home weatherized, adding insulation, air seals, light bulbs, smoke detectors and even a small furnace for the Carreres’ upstairs.
“We did get our bill a couple of days ago and it did go down,” Lizzy Carrere said. “It was almost impossible.”
Reports from the state have shown the Community Action Council serving 100 homes and saving the owners an average of 20 percent on their utility bills. Some homes have saved as much as 50 or 60 percent, said Jack Elliott, the council’s weatherization manager.
The energy assistance and weatherization program is run through JobSource in Anderson, which will receive $2.4 million in federal funds this year to help families keep warm this winter. The amount is a sizable increase over the $1.5 million it received last year, thanks to predictions that energy costs could go up as much as 30 percent this year, said Marc Scharnowske, JobSource executive director.
“These funds are intended to offset the growing energy cost burden,” he said. “With the volume of people we’re seeing with layoffs now, I expect for more people to apply and I think the federal government expects more people to apply and that’s why there’s more funding.”
As of last week, almost 1,000 people had signed up for energy assistance through JobSource, and the organization expects to increase its assistance to 1,500 more people than last year’s total of 4,432.
JobSource provides $300 for gas assistance, $100 for electric and $450 for bulk fuel to families who qualify. For example, a family of four must make less than $31,800, and an individual must make less than $15,600.
Although the Anderson utilities office hasn’t had to cut off more people from their utilities, workers there have had to work with more families on payment plans because of a poor economy, Assistant Manager Diana Ockomon said.
“There are a lot of people that are still in hurting situations,” she said. “This year I believe we’ve had to do more agreements than previously.”
The utilities office, which sends bills for electricity, water and sewer, doesn’t negotiate the amount of the bill in its agreements with customers, but rather how the customer is able to pay the bill.
For example, large bills could be spread out over a four-month period or for bills just slightly over the normal amount, customers could get up to 10 extra working days to pay it, Ockomon said.
An 8.8 percent increase in utility rates, which took effect with October billings, also could have had an effect on bill-payers, but Ockomon said that’s not the only factor in their inability to pay.
“I don’t know if the rates are affecting them as much as the economy itself has,” she said.
Anderson Board of Public Works Chairman Greg Graham said the city usually is among those with lower utility bills thanks to its participation with the Indiana Municipal Power Agency.
He said the city is doing all it can to hold down delinquency rates on utility bills, calling customers for the first time and reviewing the top 10 delinquency list.
“It is a very difficult time,” he said. “ We’re doing all we can to work out long-term agreements. Cutting is not our first option.”
Utility bills are back on track after the city recently switched to new billing software. Customers in August were given five extra days to pay their bills after the arrived late. Customers usually get about 14 days to pay their utility bills, Ockomon said.
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Need energy assistance?
JobSource in Anderson will provide $100 for electricity assistance, $300 for gas and $450 for bulk fuel to families who meet income qualifications. To apply, call (765) 641-6504 to request an application packet to be mailed to you, after which you will be given an appointment to meet with a JobSource representative.
