Gloria Hurt sits at Step Forward’s Home Energy Assistance Program office, waiting for her turn to speak with a representative. She has questions about the assistance she has been receiving to help keep her lights on.
“Money wise, I don’t work,” she says. “It’s hard times out there."
Hurt says she has relied on HEAP for most of her life. She, like many people in Cuyahoga County, have had to make some difficult decisions in the past like whether to put food on the table or pay their bills. Hurt admits things at home have become even more difficult since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“People are homeless, some can’t pay their bills,” she says. “It’s the food, the groceries, everything really.”
Hurt has five grown children and several grandchildren. While it’s difficult to ask for help, she says she is grateful for everything Step Forward has had to offer.
“If it wasn’t for them, I don’t know what we would do,” she says. “I’d tell everybody that HEAP is there for you. All you have to do is sign up for it.”
If you are interested in learning more about Step Forward's Home Energy Assistance Program, including the Winter Crisis Program, click here.