A crowdfunding campaign hopes to help some Iolans pay their delinquent utility bills when a moratorium on shutoffs ends June 1.
Humanity House is working to raise $10,000 to help Iolans pay past-due utility bills. So far, the effort has raised $4,000.
“There are far more consequences to being without utilities than most people realize,” Humanity House’s Georgia Masterson said. “You can be evicted for not having utilities. Not having utility service is grounds for being reported to child services.”
Those unable to afford utilities were given a reprieve when Gov. Laura Kelly issued an emergency declaration in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, prohibiting cities from suspending services.
More than 215,000 Kansans have filed for unemployment through the end of April due to the pandemic, which has temporarily shuttered businesses, though most are now beginning to open up.
With the moratorium on utility disconnections in place, some residents have been allocating those funds to other essentials such as food and medicine, Masterson said.
As a result, Humanity House has actually seen fewer requests for help paying utility bills. In a typical month before the pandemic, the organization would funnel about $3,000 to help residents pay their utility bills. Last month, they paid less than $200.
Residents may not be paying their utility bills, but those bills are still adding up. Currently, the city reports 186 residents are behind on utilities with an average bill of $300 per month. The City Council has allowed 15 days after the moratorium ends to pay delinquent bills before disconnection.
Masterson expects Humanity House will see a significant increase in requests for assistance once the moratorium expires and those bills become due.
“People don’t ask for help until they absolutely need it,” Masterson said.
THE UTILITY assistance program will begin distributing funds after the moratorium on disconnections ends. Assistance will be provided on a first-come, first-serve basis.
The amount of assistance available will depend on how much money is raised through the crowdfunding effort.
Working with the ioby crowdfunding platform, the Kansas Health Foundation will match each dollar of an individual donation up to $1,000. KHF will match up to a total of $10,000.
The health foundation views the fundraising effort as providing assistance to programs that improve the health of Kansans impacted by the COVID-19 crisis.
The Humboldt Food Pantry raised $20,000 through the program last month, after two primary funding sources stopped supporting the pantry and the need doubled because of the coronavirus crisis. A Bolder Humboldt’s Community Engagement Director Damaris Kunkler told Humanity House about it, and they filed an application.
