ASSISTANCE AGENCIES EXPECTING MORE REQUESTS FOR HELP

Local social service agencies are worried they may run short of money for utility assistance this spring, a problem inflamed by the winter's unusually high bills for natural gas.

A string of bitterly cold December days coupled with a nationwide increase in the cost of natural gas has Southeast Missouri natural gas customers facing bills that are double, or even triple, what they have been in previous Decembers.

Social service groups, which expect to receive many more assistance requests in the next month or two, say they're not sure they will be able to keep up.

Maj. Bob Gauthier of the Salvation Army said the organization already has received numerous requests for help with December gas bills.

Unfortunately, he said, the Army's primary fund-raising campaign, the Tree of Lights, fell about $60,000 short of its $220,000 goal this year.

Although the organization still is accepting donations, the shortage of funds means a potential shortage of utility assistance for those in need.

"I project we're going to see more people requesting utility assistance than in the past," he said. "People working minimum-wage jobs or low-salary jobs, the bills are just going to come as a shock to them."

Gauthier said the Salvation Army Thrift Store's December bill was almost $400 higher than November. But, he said, the group still wants to do what it can to help anyone having trouble paying his or her utility bills.

"We surely hope to help as many people as we can," he said. "Last year, we raised $212,000 and were able to keep our heads above water."

Bills sent out

Tim Fox, a spokesman for AmerenUE, the region's largest natural gas supplier, said most Cape Girardeau customers have by now received bills for December natural gas usage.

Fox said the high amounts being billed for natural gas are a matter of supply and demand.

"The main thing that's causing customers to pay more is that we have to pay more for natural gas," he said.

"That depends on a number of factors. A big one right now is the cold weather that's driving up demand. ... As the demand goes up, the price goes up along with it."

In October, AmerenUE officials predicted the average monthly bill for Cape Girardeau residential customers would increase from $65.93 last winter to $98.99 this winter.

Fox encourages customers who have difficulty paying their bills to take advantage of the company's "Budget Billing" program.

Budget billing allows AmerenUE to average out customers' payments throughout the year to minimize the effect of cost increases or higher seasonal usage.

Kevin Sexton of the East Missouri Action Agency, a group that provides various types of assistance to Cape Girardeau area residents, said requests for utility assistance have been coming in slowly to the agency.

"Probably in the next few weeks we'll have more and more of them," he said.

Sexton attributed the trickling requests to the delay between cold weather and when customers actually get their bills in the mail.

Depending on how many requests the agency gets, he said, the agency may have difficulty meeting demand because of a lack of additional funding from other resources.

"We've been lucky in the past few years because we received a supplemental allocation, which we probably will not get this year," he said.

Many delay paying

Most social service agencies agree a primary problem with providing assistance to utility customers is procrastination.

Many utility companies, including AmerenUE, abide by a cold-weather rule that forbids them from disconnecting service between roughly Nov. 1 and March 31.

Knowing their service will not be disconnected, many customers put off paying their bills.

By April, however, the bills have mounted into the hundreds of dollars, making it difficult for social service agencies to provide adequate assistance.

Gauthier said it is important that customers at least try to make the minimum payment due on their monthly utility bills.

"Surely pay as much as you can every month. Make those minimum payments," he said. "I think that really helps people. If you're behind, it's just a never-ending battle."

He added that there are numerous agencies in the area that can help customers keep their heads above water.

"When they get in a position where they can't pay a bill and it's a legitimate bill, they should search out all agencies they can that can help," he said. "That way, they perhaps can get that bill paid off and start fresh."

In addition to making minimum monthly payments, customers should conserve heat in their homes by plugging drafts around windows and doors, putting plastic over windows, closing off unused rooms and making sure that furnaces are operating efficiently.

Customers also can consider putting on extra clothing and blankets instead of turning their thermostats up.

Fox said it often is less expensive to undertake a few prevention measures instead of trying to pay an astronomical utility bill.

"These are very low-dollar kinds of things," he said. "It's not a big expense to put up weather stripping or take some of these other steps to keep cold air from coming in."

RESOURCES FOR UTILITY HELP

* Missouri Energy Center -- (800) 334-6946 or (573) 751-4000 -- Learn about weatherization services and bill-paying assistance. Must meet income eligibility requirements.

* Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program -- (800) 392-1261 or (573) 751-6992 -- Helps pay heating bills for Missourians who qualify for assistance. To determine if you or a family member qualify, call the LIHEAP number or visit the local Division of Family Services office.

* East Missouri Action Agency -- 334-5533 -- Can provide sources for assistance and ideas to help manage bills.

* Delta Area Economic Opportunity Corporation -- 471-4113 -- for residents of Scott County and far southern Missouri.

* Missouri Division of Aging -- (800) 235-5503.

Office of Advocacy and Assistance for the Elderly -- (573) 751-0382.

On the Web:

* U.S. Department of Energy and the National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners -- www.naruc.org/News/PR103100.html -- Answers to frequently asked questions about actions consumers can take to reduce gas bills, as well as low-income assistance programs.

* Community Connection -- www.communityconnection.org/index.html -- Can direct you to local weatherization resources.