Choices. Last month in this column, I wrote about choices involving food that force families to make difficult decisions about the quantity and quality of food in their pantry. Now that the weather is turning colder, families are faced with a new set of choices — whether to turn on the heat, put gas in the car, or feed the family. Furthermore, many individuals and families who live in poverty reside in older, substandard housing, or trailers with inadequate energy efficiency, making the impact of these decisions even more profound.

Satana Deberry of the N.C. Housing coalition says, “In affordable housing advocacy, we really face two issues around energy – the cost of energy and the efficiency of energy. Low and moderate income households that spend more than a third of their take home pay on rent or mortgage payments have little disposable income to spend on other necessities of life. The initial cost of energy is a concern in North Carolina. Because of requests by Duke Energy and decisions by the NC Utilities Commission in the last few years, North Carolinians are paying at least 20 percent more for electricity. If you live in an all-electric house, that’s a direct hit to your budget.”

Since the beginning of 2014, Outreach has provided more than $150,000 in direct financial assistance to our clients for utility bills and shelter assistance. We have also improved our firewood distribution program, installing a new wood yard and upgrading our equipment. This support helps families stretch their budget and cover more basic expenses, but we can do more. Can we, as a community, work with utility providers, schools and the community college system to develop job training around home repair and weatherization programs? Can we develop more energy efficient, affordable housing units for seniors and low- to moderate-income families in Polk County?

These are but a few of the conversations we would like to have next year as Outreach celebrates its 25^th anniversary of assisting the less fortunate citizens of our county. Over the next year we will ask you and other community members to participate in surveys and to join us at community meetings to reflect on the past and plan for the next 25 years. A calendar of events will be released in December, so please watch this column and visit us at tboutreach.org. 

– Submitted by George Alley