Oregon Heat

Success Stories

Recently, Oregon HEAT helped a single mother named Katherine with her electric bill.  She wrote Oregon HEAT a letter that said:

Oregon HEAT opened up my whole world! Tonight my family can finally wash with warm water.

We get many thank you letters from people who receive assistance. Frequently, donations of just a few dollars accompany these letters. These contributions are a real sacrifice for people living on fixed and low incomes. Yet, they are motivated to pass along the same kindness that together we have shown them.

Edward is one of the people who has been helped by Oregon HEAT.

A senior on a fixed income, Edward is a heart patient and gets cold very quickly. His wife, Shirley, is also medically fragile, needing monthly hormone shots that cost $2,500.  When they chose to pay their medical bills over energy costs during the winter months, their heat was shut off.

With support from caring donors, Oregon HEAT was able to step in, get their service reconnected and give the elderly couple a fresh start.  Unfortunately, their story is not unique to Oregon. Illness followed by hospital stays, or frequent visits to medical facilities, can put many of our neighbors behind on their energy bills.

Oregon HEAT is the only non-profit in the state solely dedicated to raising funds to keep low-income families warm and safe in their homes. Since our founding in 1989, we've helped tens of thousands of people with this very basic need of heat and lights. Some folks have told us that our help saved their lives. With your help, we can reach more families like Edward and Shirley.

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A father in Jackson County was fully employed and trying to make ends meet.

But weekly trips to Portland with their three-year-old daughter for leukemia treatments "sponged up what little income they had," said Lorena Rodriguez, an intake worker at ACCESS, part of the Oregon HEAT network serving Jackson County.

ACCESS was able to help this family "get current" on their electric bill, with a little money left over for the next month.

Joe Lorenz, Energy Department Manager at ACCESS, said that the agency sees most people when their electricity is about to be disconnected and that most had already exhausted all other resources. In every contact with recipients, ACCESS workers try to help people avoid disconnection of their service and help them understand their options. They are then referred to an energy education workshop to learn about ways to save energy.

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Medicine, Power or Food? It was an everyday worry for Carolyn.

Just as her power was about to be shut off, she called Impact Northwest and received the Oregon HEAT and county energy assistance funds she needed to keep her life-sustaining electricity running.

Carolyn is not alone in Oregon. Every day, thousands of individuals and families must choose between medicine, food or heat. 

 "I have to take my medicine, so my choices each month are do I get enough food to eat or do I pay my electric bill so I can stay warm," Carolyn says. "Oregon HEAT and Impact Northwest helped me pay off my power bill. It took a huge weight off my shoulders and literally helped me survive."

Impact Northwest (formerly Portland Impact) provides energy assistance, weatherization, case management, emergency housing and safety-net services, as well as services for children, families and seniors in Portland and Clark County.

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