Winter is fast approaching, and it's often time for many to turn the heating back on. But nearly one in three French people suffer from energy povertyand therefore lives in poorly heated, poorly insulated housing, or cannot afford to pay their gas or electricity bills. Hérault is not spared. Catholic Relief volunteers are here to help people in need get out of this situation. This Saturday, November 16, 2024, on the occasion of its big annual fair at 5 rue du général Campredon in Montpellier, the association presented its 2024 report on poverty, and in particular the difficulties linked to energy.
“I sleep in a sleeping bag, with a duvet on top”
On this subject, some Hérault residents confided in France Bleu Hérault. Faced with rising electricity prices, Roxane, from Pézenas, has a radical solution. “I simply don't heat up. We compensate, we go to supermarkets or free workshops in the morning to be able to have a little warmth. We sleep with a sleeping bag, we put a duvet on top. We ask blankets to associations And then, sometimes, when it's really cold, we put on a survival blanket.
Unfortunately, she is not the only one in this situation. Véronique cannot do without electricity. “I have health problems, so I'm cold, and on top of that, I'm visually impaired, so the light is always on at home, especially since my apartment is quite dark. That's what I pay first, that and the rent, the rest, if I can't pay, it will wait.
Léonie Cornet
So Secours Catholique helps people who have difficulty heating or lighting, as Jean-Marie Brugeron, departmental president, explains. “What we try to provide is financial aid, but also time. When you allow a person to regain a little bit of dignity, you also help them resolve some of their problems.”
This problem seems to get worse from year to year, continues Jean-Marie Brugeron: “we see that precariousness is increasing, and in particular that the income of the people we support is decreasing. As for energy insecurity, everything related to energy and electricity bills is a recurring demand. We have both requests concerning payment of arrears of electricity bills We are faced with these problems, and today, we need money and means to deal with these requests.
How to benefit from the energy check?
The association notably recalls the existence of the energy check, state aid to pay gas or electricity bills. Households whose reference tax income in 2022 is less than 11,000 euros are eligible for the energy check. This concerns around 20% of households in France. To find out if you can benefit from it, you can do a simulation by clicking here.
If you wish make a donation to Secours Catholique, you can go to the site herault.secours-catholique.org. We will also talk about the subject of energy poverty this Monday, November 18, 2024 at 8:30 a.m. with Lucie Mendes, development manager at Énergie Solidaire. She is our guest on France Bleu Hérault.
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