The temperatures are warming up outside, but many Iowans still face worries about heating bills. Barbara Grant is the direcdtor of the “Operation Threshold” community action agency that serves Black Hawk, Buchanan and Grundy Counties. She says people have still been paying off high bills from two years ago, and high gas prices at the end of the season this year added to the problem. Grant says her agency is like many in the state. She says her agency has expended all its funds for this year and is out until July 1st. She says other agencies in other counties are facing the same money issues, especially as counties and cities cut back funding. Grant says donations to funds to help people pay their heating bills has gone down too.Grant says many people are doing what they can to pay their heating bills, but if they can’t and get disconnected, they can be left without a home. She says some people who become disconnected, they lose their section eight housing vocher, and become homeless.Grant says the most recent report filed with the Iowa Utilities Board showed over 24-thousand low-income Iowans are behind on their utilitity bills — owing nearly eight-million dollars.
