TYLER, Texas — It's normal for your electricity cost to increase during the summer months, but that doesn't mean it's not still a struggle to make that payment, especially with so many people unemployed due to the pandemic.
"We are seeing an increase in people who've never needed help before," PATH Program Director Andrea Wilson said. "And those are the ones that really it's really hard to navigate the system because they don't know where they can receive help."
PATH or People Attempting To Help has several different programs available to help people in need of assistance regardless of income.
"Whether that's TXU or Direct Energy any of the utility companies we're able to help with," Wilson said. "We're able to help folks who have not received assistance from us in the last year, and who have received a disconnection notice from their utility company."
Another organization offering utility assistance is GETCAP. With more than 20 locations in East Texas, GETCAP serves communities from Terrell to Beaumont. In order to be a part of their utility program, you have make less than 150% of the federal poverty guideline.
"We have our energy assistance program and you know, due to COVID-19 many people have lost their job or they had a reduction in income," GETCAP Program Director Teresa Land said. "We have funding to help with utility bills. We also do gas. So it's not only limited to electricity, we also do gas and propane."
Land says unlike other service organizations, GETCAP has not seen an increase in applicants so now is the time to reach out if you need help.
"That is the strange thing," Land said. "We have not and we don't know if it's because, you know, of course people may be scared to get out, which rightfully they should be. But we also want to let them know that even though we're not seeing face to face, we are still serving our community. And we're serving it through our website, but we can also mail application to them if they give us a call and ask us."