Residents looking for help from high gas bills

<br>If you opened your gas bill recently, you were no doubt shocked that it has doubled and even tripled in just one month. <br><br>Many customersâ€™ say there's no way they can come up with the money

Saturday, January 20th 2001, 12:00 am

By: News On 6

If you opened your gas bill recently, you were no doubt shocked that it has doubled and even tripled in just one month.

Many customersâ€™ say there's no way they can come up with the money to pay their bill and they don't know what to do. The shock of a high gas bill has worn off for many people, now they're wondering how they'll pay it.

Michelle Bassett is among them. "My gas bill is outrageous $522 and some change." She says she called ONG to try and work out a payment plan but they wanted $273 for the first payment. Bassett says she'll just pay what she can. "I paid $50 yesterday they wanted the other $100 and something I told them that was all I had that I had to feed three kids and you know you can't get blood out of a turnip."

She's not the only ones calling ONG; the phone lines are literally jammed. ONGâ€™s Roger Mitchell says "of course we will answer the phones but it may take awhile because so many customers are calling trying to make arrangements and trying to get on the budget payment plan." The budget payment plan averages out your bills over a year's time and the extended payment plan allows customers to pay out their monthly bill; both are available now.

There are also charities such as The Salvation Army that are trying to help. But many charities are running low on funds, the Salvation Army has some money left for the month, but they can only assist 24 people a day. Their money comes from the Share the Warmth program supported by ONG customers who can afford to give extra money to help others.

There may be even more help on the way. Roger Mitchell says "there is some good news I understand that the Low Income Energy Assistance program which is a federally funded program is receiving some additional funding which is a result of congressional action." That means customers can apply for help at DHS. Which gives people like Michelle Bassett hope, while they try and figure out what to do. "It's almost like you're drowning."

Thousands of people don't know how they'll pay their gas bill and they know another one is coming next month they are just hoping gas prices to go down before they go bankrupt.