STARKVILLE, Miss. (WCBI) – Many Golden Triangle residents have noticed a rise in their utility bills.
And with cooler weather moving in, people will be turning up the heat.
That can begin to burn a hole in your wallet.
Starkville Community Foundation’s program, Helping Hands, gives financial assistance to residents of Oktibbeha County to help pay rent or electric bills.
But they also provide residents with tools to help them become more self-sufficient.
“It’s just a band-aid. It’s not a long-term solution, but sometimes people are one bad bill away from being evicted, so we really want to stop people from being evicted,” said Alison Buehler, the Finance and Outreach Chair for Starkville Community Foundation.
Starkville Community Foundation provides funds for Helping Hands, but the program is run by Trinity Presbyterian Church in Starkville.
“We start taking appointments starting at 10:30 a.m. Give me a call then and it’s by like ‘first come, first served’ basis,” said Alliyah Bradford, the pastor’s administrative assistant at Trinity.
On Monday Mornings, Bradford answers calls for people in need.
The first five to call can receive up to $250 to help pay a bill.
But they are also required to come in for training on Tuesday to get advice on how to save money and lower those utility bills.
“After they’ve gone through about energy, they get a bag to take on the way out,” said Joan Mylroie, a member and volunteer at Trinity.
Mylroie helps organize getting groceries and other household items for program participants.
However, Trinity’s not the only one giving back to the community.
Starkville Utilities also has programs to help city residents pay and manage their bills.
One way is through a free energy audit.
“You’ll have a technical resident that comes into your place of residence, and they’ll do a full assessment. They’ll look at your lighting. They’ll look at your insulation. They’ll look at the type of windows, any ways that you can improve and make your home more efficient,” said Edward Kemp, the general manager for Starkville Utilities.
Starkville Utilities wants to help educate the public on ways they can lower bills by saving energy in their home.
The company will host Energy workshops on November 6 and 7, around the city.
If you would like to donate to Helping Hands, you can visit scf.com/helping-hands.
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