TYLER, Texas — For those who already find it difficult to cover their expenses, the increase of one bill could place them in a situation of needing help. That is where Tyler's nonprofit People Attempting to Help, otherwise known as PATH, comes into play.
"You can’t be too proud to ask for help," PATH client Lloyd Mills said. "Everyone is going to need help. I’ve seen people who’ve had it all and lost it."
Mills recently filed for disability after being forced to leave his job due to a back injury. Since then, he has found it difficult to keep things afloat.
"I kind of fell behind, because I’m not working at the moment. I think things are going to work out," Mills said. "I appreciate PATH just being there to try to help me to try to get this thing worked out with TXU.”
He is one of 100 clients that come through PATH's doors daily seeking assistance. Since 1985, the nonprofit has offered services including a food pantry, rent and mortgage assistance and medical assistance.
"We also have a list of housing that’s available," PATH Executive Director, Greg Grubb said. "We have a list of jobs that’s available. We're trying to give the people the tools that they need to get by, people in need.”
Grubb says the organization exists to help people during a time in their life that can be difficult financially.
"PATH’s utility assistance is really focused on the families who could normally make ends meet, maybe just barely, but they’ve had some bump in the road, some one-time event," Grubb said.
The nonprofit has a philosophy "to not sustain people in unsustainable situations."
Instead, his team offers counseling to clients who find their expenses continuously exceeding their income. This will help them find a better resolution to their budget.
"Right now, we are assisting about 35-40 families per month, depending on the size of the utility bills," Grubb said. "We try to do more than the minimum $25 or $50 per person assistance because we found that’s not very helpful."
Utility bills of many families can come with a large price tag.
"We are currently spending $75,000 a year in assisting people with TXU energy bills," Grubb said. "The funding for our energy assistance comes, primarily, from TXU Energy, itself. They have a program called, Energy Aide, in which they donate some money and people, on your utility bills, you can contribute to their fund, as well."
He said his team is always searching for funding of about the same amount to assist people with other utility providers. However, the number of those clients they are able to help depends on how the funding stream flows.
"The main qualification for getting assistance with your utility bill is number one, being in need of that kind of immediate assistance. We’ll want some documentation of that," Grubb said. "Maybe a cutoff notice or at least a late notice from the utility provider, but also we’ll need to actually see a copy of the bill so that we can document that and make sure it gets to the right account."
When the temperatures begin to rise, Grubb says PATH sees a drastic increase in clientele.
"In Texas, our utility bills are higher during the summertime," Grubb said. "The kids are out of school. There’s no free lunches. So, low-income people have a much more difficult time getting through the Texas summers.”
In addition to large donations from companies like TXU Energy, local churches and philanthropists, PATH depends on the community to offer its services.
“The only limitation we have to helping people in our community is when funding runs low," Grubb said. "The more we have, the more we can input directly into the community, directly into the lives of people in need.”
Visit PATH's website for more information about the nonprofit and the services offered.