More Detroit Residents Freezing, Aid Falls Short

This winter, the number of unemployed residents in Detroit rose 33 percent, which means that more people are facing brutally cold winters without money to pay heating bills, the Detroit Free Press reports.

State and local agencies are responding with extra money and resources to help families pay their utility bills, but with 150,000 people at risk of losing their heat, officials fear the help will not be enough.

In response to the demand and in an effort to curtail heating costs for lower-income residents, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services sent Michigan $74 million in emergency funds to add to an existing $283 million for energy assistance...But many fall between the cracks. Last year, for example, DTE Energy shut off utilities for 221,000 households because of delinquent payments, a 36% increase over 2008.

Many of those at risk for losing their heat are in this position for the first time.

Working just eight hours a week, Cynthia Caruthers can barely afford to keep her heat on for a few hours a day. "I've never had anything like this happen to me," said Caruthers, 42, who lives with her 14-year-old son in Detroit and can't find a better job. "It's scary."

Read the full story about the plight of Detroit's unemployed and underemployed this winter on the Detroit Free Press.