Cenla CAC, Inc. in Alexandria, Louisiana has so many success stories. 

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A young mother was referred to our agency by a local utility vendor.  Her husband had recently left her along with their four (4) children, one (1) of whom was diabetic.  She was unaware that her husband had not been paying the household bills  until she received a shutoff notice from her utility company.  Making matters worse, the last payment that he actually paid resulted in a NSF check and the utility account was currently three (3) months past due.  The husband’s departure from the home left a tremendous reduction in household income and the mom was now faced with trying to bring bills current without his help.  We were able to provide her with LIHEAP assistance which put a halt to the disconnection.  As part of the LIHEAP process, the mom was given Energy Conservation Education to aid in reducing her monthly energy usage thus reducing the overall household energy cost.  We also utilized services from other programs to provide for other needs, such as food for her diabetic son.  Lastly, the mom is currently working with a counselor to establish a household budget and a monthly spending plan to aid in managing her income and expenses.  Had it not been for the collaborative efforts of both our community action agency and the utility company, this family could have slipped through the cracks and found themselves in a state of complete disrepair.  Due to the fact that the utility company had total confidence in our agency and the LIHEAP program, they were willing to work with us as we provided this family with much-needed assistance!   

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