Our Daily Show Interview! Susan Sams Warm Neighbors, Cool Friends
ILLINOIS – Community members have the chance to receive assistance on their Ameren Illinois electric bills.
The Warm Neighbors Cool Friends program provides energy assistance to people between 200–300% of the Federal Poverty Level or 80% of the county’s Area Median Income. For example, you qualify for federal assistance through the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) if you are a household of one earning $0–3,332 a month. You qualify for the Warm Neighbors Cool Friends (WNCF) program if you earn between $3,333–4,713.
Susan Sams, executive director of the Energy Assistance Foundation, explained that over 100,000 homes have been helped through the WNCF program. You can donate today to help those in need or visit their official website to learn if you qualify.
“It’s usually just one temporary financial crisis that can really set a family back for a couple of months,” Sams said. “It can be, for a lot of people, just the little bit of help that they need to keep going.”
The WNCF program is meant to help Ameren customers in crisis with a one-time bill payment. There are other programs available for ongoing bill assistance, and Sams suggests calling the Ameren Illinois customer service line at 1-800-232-2477 to learn about some of these programs.
She noted that Ameren donates through their charitable trust every year, which covers WNCF administrative costs. Customers are encouraged to donate a few dollars every month, which then goes directly to fellow customers in need.
Sams told the story of Gerald, an older man whose wife was in the hospital. He needed help paying a $133 Ameren bill, but he told Sams that his father would “roll over in his grave” if he knew Gerald was accepting assistance.
“I said, ‘Gerald, our program is designed for people like you. You have a problem and we can help you solve it,’” Sams remembered.
Gerald eventually took the assistance from WNCF. Once he was on steadier ground, he went on to donate $5 every month toward the program to help others.
Sams is pleased that WNCF can be “a blessing” to so many people who find themselves in need of assistance. She encourages people to consider donating if you can.
“We cover 44,000 square miles of Ameren Illinois. We have agencies throughout,” Sams added. “The agencies that administer our program, their whole goal in life is to make their community a better place.”
She encourages people to call her at 888-690-5700 to find out more about donating or how to receive assistance, or visit the official WNCF website at WarmNeighborsCoolFriends.org.
