Every year, when winter starts to hit and the temperature
drops, our utility assistance season kicks into high gear. This is a program
that we value greatly, because it gives us the opportunity to reach thousands
of households across northeast Indiana. But it is definitely our most difficult
program to administer.
The heating assistance portion of the program provides
financial assistance on heating bills to families who qualify. The amount they
receive is based on a number of factors, such as income level, heating type,
and more. It is a critical basic need for most of these families; without it
they would struggle to keep their heat on during the winter. Quite literally,
some individuals would freeze to death without this service.
This piece of the program runs from November through May this
year, a shorter time frame than we have had in previous years. Because of this
shorter window, the large number of families we need to serve and the limited
funding provided to run the program, we definitely battle every year to make it
all happen.
We have hundreds of people calling our office every day, and
despite having three staff answering phones, the hold times are long. Despite
an organized appointment system and staff working diligently, we have many
people coming in with emergencies every day, further swamping the caseload.
The sheer volume is one thing, but the issues that our
families face are also difficult, sometimes heart-wrenching. CANI employees
work here because they want to make a difference in people’s lives, but that
work can become overwhelming at times.
I know that this is our busiest, most stressful time of the
entire year. That is what makes me even more proud of our employees during this
time. The Family Support staff work extremely hard to get people their
services. Other departments pitch in to help when we get overloaded. Despite
the massive numbers, we always serve the most people that we can, as well as we
can.
Because we are CANI and that is what we do here.
