Wilson County assistance programs

Help with utility and energy bills

With the weak economy, demand for assistance to pay utility and heating bills has almost overwhelmed Wilson County's Salvation Army. The incredible demand and number of people struggling has led to families and individuals waiting in line for hours and hours, all of them who are seeking help.

The organization is doing its best to meet the need, and they have modified their assistance program. If a person's utility service is scheduled to be cutoff within a week, the Salvation will prioritize that persons application. The agency will see the resident before the scheduled cutoff date to determine what type of help they can offer. Also, if a persons utility service whose cutoff date is in the next day or so will be seen first. Others may need to wait.

High utility and heating bill rates have sparked an outcry recently in Wilson, which has lead to packed city council meetings, a protest on the courthouse steps, and a petition. The Salvation Army has helped distribute money that has been granted by the city and the federal government to assist residents with their bills.

While it may be incredible to believe, in a week's time the Salvation Army may administer anywhere from $10,000 to $15,000 in free vouchers to people to use for paying utility bills.

The City is also helping by providing additional funding. However the Salvation Army doesn’t expect the additional $50,000 the city has recently added to help residents with utilities to last more than a couple of weeks. So they are continually looking for donations to expand the size of the program. Contact the Wilson North Carolina Salvation Army at (252) 446-4496.

 

 

 

Emergency aid for bills and housing expenses

The county is benefiting from American Recovery Reinvestment Act (ARRA) funds. This is better known as the stimulus plan. While the stimulus plan may have its pros and cons, the bottom line is that grants are available to fund programs, including employment, job training, housing and rent assistance, emergency assistance for bills, and foreclosure counseling. Find additional ways to get foreclosure help.

The Nash-Edgecombe Economic Development Inc., which is the local Wilson County community agency, is administering the government monies. The community agency can be reached at (252) 206-0763 or 206-0756.