' I have never felt so hopeless': millions in US fear utility shutoffs as debts rise [theguardian.com]

Rafael Maravilla(PACEs Connection Staff) 10/14/214:00 AM

By Michael Sainato, The Guardian, October 13, 2021

The gas in Diana Morgan Magda’s house was shut off in May. Now when she wants to take a bath she uses an electric kettle to heat the water. It takes an hour.

Magda, who lives in Girard, Ohio, relies on social security disability benefits for her sole income. Like many Americans, she can’t pay all her bills, living expenses and medication with the benefits she receives, and through the pandemic she fell behind on utility bills.

Millions more Americans fell behind on utility bills during the pandemic. Utility debt increased from around $12bn before the pandemic to an estimated $32bn by the end of 2020, according to the National Energy Assistance Directors’ Association (NEADA).

[Please click here to read more.]

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