Low-income families: Bills are piling up

Echoes of Sun Youth

The cold waves that have been raging in recent weeks have caused a record of electricity consumption, according to Hydro-Québec. As a result, additional heating costs will be added to a pile of bills that are already too heavy for many Quebecers to pay. More than a third of them report an income of less than $25,000 per year.

This year, more than 10,000 people have used Sun Youth’s help. One of them is a woman who suffers from a major anxiety disorder and lives in a very precarious situation. Her social worker, André Bergeron, called Sun Youth for help in obtaining heating oil. “Her tank was almost empty. Without Sun Youth’s help, she would have no oil today, so no more heating. It was our last resort,” explains Mr. Bergeron.

Inflation and supply problems

Inflation and supply problems are adding up since the beginning of the year, making life even more difficult than usual for people living in poverty.  “In order to help this lady, it cost $250 more than around the same time last year”, according to Eric Kingsley, Director of Sun Youth’s Emergency Services. “The first heating oil distributor we called informed us that there would be several weeks of waiting before we could get supplies from them.”

The bills that accumulate are a source of distress for many people: “Beyond the cold, the fear of running out of heating can have a major impact on health, anxiety level of course, but also on sleep loss. This client kept the ambient temperature of her home at about ten degrees for the sake of economy, missed medical appointments for fear of leaving home and her water pipes freezing while away from home and also moved part of her budget for food to pay for heating. Everything unravels,” adds Mr. Bergeron.

Sun Youth programs have a proven track record of helping people make ends meet, especially during this time of year.

Heating assistance

Through this initiative and thanks to various partnerships, Sun Youth is able to help people having difficulties because of the intense cold. This assistance can take the form of a delivery of heating oil for people whose tank is empty, a negotiation of a payment agreement with Hydro-Québec or access to services to improve the energy efficiency of a residence through the Éconologis program. To receive assistance, call 514-842-6822 or write to [email protected].

Annual Avi Morrow Bike Giveaway

We remind you that you still have a few weeks to nominate a child for our Annual Avi Morrow Bike Giveaway. This program is aimed at young people aged 5 to 17 from the greater Montreal area. New bicycles will be distributed to candidates who have shown exceptional courage in difficult situations or whose actions have had a positive influence in their community. The last year has once again been particularly difficult for many young people and for many of them, a beautiful new bike could make a big difference! But to do that, we need your help.

You can nominate a deserving young person by filling in the application form at www.sunyouth.org. We accept applications until March 31: please note that no application will be accepted after this date!