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News Release
February 2, 2006 H.E.A.T. Provides $1 Million to Help Georgians Pay Heating Bills Atlanta - The Heating Energy Assistance Team (H.E.A.T.), Inc. an Atlanta-based nonprofit organization that provides energy assistance statewide to low-income Georgians, announced today that it has provided $1 million to the Georgia Department of Human Resources (DHR) to assist qualified families who are unable to pay their heating bills. "This winter has been particularly challenging for low-income families because of record-high energy costs," said H.E.A.T.'s Board Chairman, Ira Shucker. "The impact of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita has been felt nationwide. We are pleased that H.E.A.T. could make the largest distribution of funds in our agency's 22-year history. The $1 million will help more than 4,600 Georgia households stay warm this winter." Who benefits from H.E.A.T. funds? The Prosser family is among thousands of Georgia families who have benefited from receiving H.E.A.T. funds. Rose Prosser, a 69-year-old retiree, lives on Social Security benefits. She shares her home with her 52-year-old daughter and a 3-year-old granddaughter. After suffering a stroke at age 40 that left her partially paralyzed and then undergoing a kidney transplant, the daughter became fully dependant on her mother. Mrs. Prosser has her own health concerns, including high blood pressure. When energy costs went up at the same time that she had to pay medical bills, she had a difficult time paying her mortgage and car insurance. As a result of her financial challenges, she found herself without gas service. "Getting help from H.E.A.T. has been such a blessing," she says. "Otherwise, we would have had to borrow money to pay our heating bill, and we would have been in even worse shape." Qualified families can get energy assistance H.E.A.T. funds are distributed by DHR through local community action agencies. Qualified families apply for assistance at the agency that serves their county. Households must meet established guidelines that include income eligibility. During winter 2004-2005, more than $500,000 of H.E.A.T. funds was disbursed through DHR to some 2,615 families. "H.E.A.T. is an invaluable asset to the citizens of Georgia. Because winter it not over yet, this timely and much-needed contribution from the organization will help thousands more low-income families this season," said B.J. Walker, DHR commissioner. Private citizens and natural gas companies made the financial contributions to H.E.A.T. that resulted in the $1 million distribution. Georgia Natural Gas, SCANA Energy, AGL Resources, Southern Company Gas, Shell Energy, Vectren Source, Infinite Energy, Coweta-Fayette EMC, Commerce Energy and GasKey all participated. About H.E.A.T. Established in 1983, H.E.A.T. began as a program of Atlanta Gas Light Company. With the deregulation of Georgia's natural gas industry, H.E.A.T. became a separate 501 (c)(3) nonprofit organization in May 2000. The organization has helped address the energy needs of low-income Georgians by joining forces with concerned citizens, businesses and state and local governments. During the past 22 years, H.E.A.T. has distributed more than $14.5 million to nearly 73,000 families in Georgia. For more information about H.E.A.T. or to donate online, go to www.heatga.org.
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