No way, is it the county maybe? I had no issues at all a few years ago when I needed it one winter, I was approved before the end of the day.

You mentioned it was stories that drew you away. I would call anyway if you haven't yourself. These programs can be a hassle but I would suggest you start throwing darts at the board and see what sticks. Getting a SNAP card will still help you catch up on your utilities.

The Compass website makes this fairly easy, and yes: that change was recent. Within the last year I'd say. When I used it I had to call, it was so easy I still remember the person's name because it stood at that much, it was Lisa. She took a run through all the programs under Compass that I could apply for in basically one go without having to call different organizations and departments myself. By the end of the day I knew the results for about 90% of my applications, got some and didn't get others but it didn't matter because the strain on my total finances was lifted enough.

So there's a positive one for you. If that ends up not being your experience I'm sorry, but do please try.

LiHEAP

LiHEAP

LiHEAP

It's tied into Compass, you can apply for it with SNAP and Medical Assistance via the popular PA portal. If you're unfamiliar with it just head over to https://www.compass.state.pa.us/. It's straight up the easiest energy assistance program I've encountered.

In addition to that: Please call and ask about payment payment plans. My electricity was astronomical a year or two ago. Didn't have steady employment and I was letting it rack up in the hopes I could pay the whole thing down the line. They killed the power and I called that afternoon and had it back on in 30 seconds after setting up a basic payment plan.

The way it works is they split what you owe over several months over what you're accruing normally so your bill will be higher but manageable now.

Example: if you're monthly bill averages $1, say. After a while you owe $5 and they shut off the power. If you call and literally just say the words "Payment Plan" they say "Okay, you'll pay us $1/month on the plan". Now you owe $2 a month until you pay it off. I know this isn't crazy hard to understand but it is nice you still have the option after "the point of no return" so-to-speak.

If you miss one of those payment plans they will shut it off again so start finding a way to prioritize it from then on.

Brain shit in general. Concussions will do this too. I had a really bad concussion a few years ago that required hospitalization including jumbled words, super weird. In a couple months I was holding a knife to my throat yelling at my partner "I'll fucking do it, just the jugular. Five seconds and it's over!" I was in a full psych program that night.

The sheer sense of doom and depression after any kind of brain trauma can be uncontrollable and overwhelming and completely out of character for the sufferer. I can't believe that people want someone in politics to not do something about that.

French Creek has a pair, they're a good pair for people to know about and visit because they live in the middle of the lake so no one can bother them.

John Heinz has a pair in the middle of the Marsh too. Funny enough if you look up in the sky from the stadiums you may see one of them, I know they hunt around the navy yard I've seen them while fishing there.

🎶 O, Pennsyltucky 🎶