Some St. Landry Parish residents say they can’t get in touch with the parish community action agency to get assistance paying their electric bills.
The program started accepting applications Tuesday. However, some residents are angry at the lack of response.
When some residents called Community Action for energy assistance, their phone calls went to voice mail.
“I have recorded 50 messages. They did not call me back and I left my number,” Priscilla Boutte said. “We all getting turned down every day. Every minute. Every second. Every hour.”
Which is why Boutte and several others went to the office on Tuesday to apply for assistance in person. However, office workers told them it was too late to apply.
Parish president Bill Fontenot says the C.A.A gets federal funding twice a year for electric assistance. So far, the parish has received $200,000 which Fontenot says is enough money to pay for 450 households.
“We may get a 1000 requests for an appointment,” Fontenot said. “You can understand the volume of calls we get. We have four people answering the phones. That’s the max we have to answer the phones.”
Fontenot expects the C.A.A to get its second payment in November or December. He says residents who need assistance should call early to see if they qualify.
However, Fontenot says those who have already received a payment may not get another one this year.
“Preference is for those who haven’t received it all,” Fontenot said.
