Emergency fund for utility bills running low as Calgary families in crisis drive spike in calls

A new emergency fund for Calgary families struggling with utility bills is already running low.

In December, Enmax gave family assistance program Trellis $150,000 to provide one-time relief for families in crisis. But managers with the non-profit say it's already two-thirds gone and the need for help has soared.

"It's not meeting the need, there just isn't enough help and we're seeing just really, really high bills," said Angela Clark, chief strategy officer at Trellis and a member of Alberta's Energy Poverty Taskforce. 

Natural gas rates increased and the floating (regulated) rate for electricity in Calgary and Edmonton nearly doubled in the last year, reaching roughly 16 cents a kilowatt hour this year in February from 8¢/kWh a year before.

In the fall experts were forecasting increased rates and warned Albertans to get on a fixed-price plan, but not everyone did or could. 

Trellis, 211-Distress Centre Calgary, and the Alberta Utilities Advocate are all seeing a spike in calls for assistance, including from residents struggling for the first time.

"Our triage and assessment person is getting three times the number of calls that she's used to getting ... often it's just walking families through what's available out there because for the first time in their lives, they're having to access these services," said Jocelyn Adamo, director of programs for Trellis.

The emergency funding is provided by Enmax for the Trellis Society to allocate, an increase from the previous $50,000 annual grant, and part of an effort to prevent families from becoming homeless due to rental and utility arrears.

Trellis began dispersing funds to families in December, providing between $200 and $6,000 per case. The increase lets Trellis help families at immediate risk of homelessness, and also those who simply can't pay a bill for the first time.

"Before we were triaging for risk of homelessness first," said Adamo. "We would pour our resources first into people who are at imminent risk of homelessness, and that left a lot of people with debts, growing utility bills that we weren't able to support them."

The Distress Centre and United Way also got increased Enmax funding this year; it's not clear how much of their funding is left.

This month, CBC News in Calgary is launching a new effort to understand the utility situation. We've been using a text-messaging app to ask people about the information they're seeking and how the increase in rates and fees affects them.

So far, many have said they're struggling to find clear information comparing companies and plans. They say they're shopping around for a new provider, making tough choices about what else to cut from their budgets, and setting the thermostat down near 17 C.

Wednesday Lupypciw is among those who texted. She and her partner bought their first home in Forest Lawn last year and said at first utility bills were manageable; electricity was roughly $200 in the spring.