KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Staying warm during this month’s Arctic blast was hard enough for many across Kansas City.
Bills for staying warm are now starting to come due.
Kansas City resident Mary Deloa uses several tricks to help lower her utility bill: keeping the thermostat below 68 in the winter and wearing lots of layers when she’s around the house.
“I don’t know how I’m going to pay for it,” Deloa said after receiving a $250 gas bill. “I am just a single person living by myself and I could only imagine if it was a family.”
Deloa recently moved to Kansas City from Texas. With a long-distance fiancee and an upcoming wedding, money is already tight.
She says she might have to cut down on visits while she pays down her bills.
A spokesperson from Spire, one of the largest gas providers in the Kansas City area, says increases in bills are largely due to the time of year and an increase in the amount of gas customers use.
“If customers are seeing those increases right now, it is more reflective on their rates,” Spire’s Jason Merrill said. “It’s more reflective of the time of year where you are using more gas and your bills would be higher.”
Merrill says Spire has programs that can help families in need.
“We want to make sure that they contact us if they are concerns,” he said. “We have options and programs that can assist customers that are struggling.”
In addition to programs from Spire, another option for some residents is to turn to nonprofit civic organizations like the Community Assistance Council.
Rachel Casey, Community Assistance Council’s executive director, knows the additional burden the bills can have on families.
The group, which helps residents in south Kansas City, has found itself with fewer resources once funding from the American Rescue Plan started to run out.
“It’s so disheartening because we know that these families are still doing what they can and the best they can,” Casey said. “We absolutely hate to turn anybody away, but that happens every day.”
LINK | Options and resources to help Kansans, Missourians with utility bills
Deloa says she’s searching for creative ways to help pay off her bills.
“I used to dog sit a lot, so I thought about doing that again or working part-time at the Hy-Vee down the street or something like that,” she said.
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