Homeless families blame domestic violence, utilities costs

John C. Ensslin, Rocky Mountain News

Published March 6, 2007 at midnight

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Among homeless families with children, domestic violence and utility costs were two of the most commonly cited factors that people gave while describing how they became homeless.

People who were surveyed in summer 2006 were able to give more than one reason for their homelessness. Among families, 58 percent cited abuse and violence in the home as the most common factor, followed by 56 percent who cited utility costs.

That's a very different profile than the survey found among homeless people without children, who cited mental illness (81 percent) and substance abuse (80 percent) as the main causes of their homelessness.

Tom Henley, a spokesman for Xcel Energy, said the timing of the survey might have been a factor in the frequent mention of utility costs. The heating season that ended in March 2006 saw a sharp increase in utility bills because of a spike in natural-gas prices. Those rates later declined.

Henley said the utility has tried hard through a number of programs to help customers avoid having to choose between heat, medicine or housing.

He said account managers always try to work out a payment plan with customers.

Xcel also is working with Energy Outreach Colorado, which gathers funds for low-income energy assistance through a checkoff program.

Xcel will match those donations up to $1 million, Henley said.

The utility also works with a nonprofit organization that helps weatherize low-income homes to cut energy bills.

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