Dormont Couple Living Without Natural Gas

from KDKA

The link below has the video story. - Kale

DORMONT ― With prices of food and gas rising, more people are struggling to keep up with the cost of the necessities, including those monthly natural gas rates that have gone up as much as 65 percent.

When you think of going without natural gas, you think of those cold winters, but even in the summer, getting your gas shut off makes life very difficult.

"We had our gas shut off - had to be at least three months ago or so," John Semplice said.

Since then, life on the second floor of their duplex in Dormont hasn't been easy for John and Caryl.

"I hate it. You know I just wish they could help us more than what they have," Caryl said. " They say you don't miss something until you don't have it."

Not having natural gas not only means the gas stove won't work - the hot water tank doesn't work either.

"We take cold showers. It's not so bad now with the humidity, but even then you come out of a cold shower and you are cold," Caryl said.

The Semplices are among thousands of area families facing this winter without natural gas.

"What I make a month and what my wife makes a month right now on these two jobs alone," John says, "we can't afford to pay what Equitable Gas wants us to pay for a monthly budget."

Those monthly payments are $274 - a payment the Public Utility Commission had helped arrange after the Semplices fell behind in payments once before. The PUC won't help them again and Equitable says if they want their gas turned back on, they have to come up with over $2,000.

"I'm starting to work my second job today so I'll have two jobs ... and he has a fulltime job and he's thinking about getting a second part-time job," Caryl said.

Because the Semplice's gross income is just under 250 percent of poverty level, there is little if any help available.

Starting in November, the Low Income Energy Assistance Program, LIHEAP, and Crisis will offer help to families whose income is at or less than 150 percent of the poverty level. Starting in October, Dollar Energy provides help to families whose income is at or below 200 percent of the poverty level.

Link to full article. May expire in future.