Heating costs leave people in the cold

By Jomay Steen, Journal Staff Writer | Saturday, December 18, 2004

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KYLE — This isn't how Maureen Last Horse thought she would be spending the holidays.

Rather than baking holiday cookies and breads, the Oglala woman huddles near the open oven of her electric kitchen stove for warmth.

The red glow of the heating coil is the only heat available in her home. A mechanical problem with her furnace has plunged her family of four into a constant chill as the outdoor and night-time temperatures continue to fall.

"We're worried about the pipes," Last Horse said. "I've been asking the tribe for help since last spring and summer. It's already winter again."

Phyllis Wilcox, 44, a Wanblee community volunteer, has fielded scores of calls in the Eagle Nest District for help in obtaining wood or propane to heat homes.

Many complain that rising fuel and electrical costs and tightening budgets of the tribe's energy assistance programs have strained already-stretched budgets.

"They have to choose between paying for electricity or propane," Wilcox said.

Robert Running Bear, Oglala Sioux Tribe acting energy director, said that an average of 2,400 families signed up for the $600,000 worth of energy assistance provided by the tribe. This would provide about $250 of energy assistance per family per year.

"With a mild winter, we're running at about 1,500 applications," Running Bear said.

Applicants must live within the boundaries of Jackson, Bennett and Shannon counties, he said. Families must submit applications to the OST Energy Assistance Office.

Upon certification of eligibility, the office will contact vendors to deliver wood or propane, he said.

Applications are at each of the government centers in the nine districts of Pine Ridge Indian Reservation, he said. The energy office also had a $200,000 budget for assistance in furnace replacement and furnace malfunctions, he said.

Running Bear expects that as the winter deepens, 900 more families will sign up for assistance. "We're running right on schedule," he said.

For many families, it will take too long, Wilcox said.

"We need heat now," she said.

Wilcox said that in Wanblee there are 75 families on general assistance. During the winter, they survive from week to week, and a cold front spells trouble.

"It affects almost everybody here," Wilcox said of her small community.

Because of the need, the Winter Heating Project for the Elderly has been established. The heating project has established an account for a community heating fund. Wilcox said checks or money orders can be sent to Bob's Gas Service, P.O. Box S, Martin, SD 57551.

Community members will contact Wilcox, and she will submit orders for propane to be delivered to those in need.

"A hundred dollars will buy 71 gallons of propane," she said.

Last Horse owns her own home, so the Housing Authority on the Pine Ridge reservation doesn't provide parts or maintenance for her house.

"I tried to get in touch with housing, but they don't work on trailer houses," Last Horse said.

She lives six miles outside of Wanblee. Her search for someone to fix her furnace has proved fruitless. She doesn't despair, but she does worry that the constant use of her stove might result in her children being burned or an accidental fire.

"I tried to work on the furnace myself. I can take it apart, but putting it back would be kind of hard," Last Horse said.

Contact Jomay Steen at 394-8418 or jomay.steen@rapidcityjournal.com