Home Heating Help Provides Struggling Families with Comfort and Relief

Winter heating bills are a major burden on low-income households and families. Often, when the bills are tight, there are unsafe trade-offs between heat and food or medicine.

The Salvation Army, in partnership with the P.E.I. government, Nova Scotia government and Nova Scotia Power, is ensuring that struggling families are staying warm this winter. The home heating programs, administered by The Salvation Army, work with energy suppliers to provide firewood, home heating oil, coal, propane and electric heat to people in need.

“Many people count on these emergency programs,” says Captain Jamie Locke of The Salvation Army in Charlottetown. “From seasonal workers who are waiting for unemployment insurance to kick in to those who are suddenly unemployed to seniors who live on a fixed income, the program is providing comfort and relief.”

Through the generosity of public donors, The Salvation Army is also able to help some of the people who don’t qualify for the program such as those on social assistance.

“It’s difficult to hear of people living in one room or bundled up under blankets to save on heating costs,” says Locke. “Everyone deserves to be warm.”

The province-wide programs are greatly appreciated and last winter, more than 2,500 households received assistance.