It’s been a rough year for Melina H. She had to have surgery to remove one of her toes back in January. She then got an infection. Her foot is slowly healing, but she’s not able to move around freely.
“I just have to sit around all day and it sucks,” Melina said. “I’m not really supposed to put pressure on it. I have to go to the doctors every week to check on it.”
Between all those medical appointments and trying to focus on healing, she admits staying on top of the bills was an afterthought. And living on Social Security disability alone, money’s always tight. So when her gas was about to be disconnected, she reached out to United Way for help.
“It’s hard, I want to do things on my own. But sometimes you can’t,” Melina said.
Independence is something she values deeply because it’s been a work in progress.
“That’s a big deal. Me and my dog Lily enjoy it here where we live,” she said. “We were homeless for three years. So when we finally got a place, I want to make sure we can stay settled. I don’t want to get kicked out.”
Melina is thankful to United Way case manager Joyce, who supports community members in getting assistance through the Critical Medical Needs program, an initiative made possible thanks to utility providers Evergy and Spire. It’s designed to prevent disconnection or restore service for households facing medical challenges that could be worsened without utilities connected. In just the first four months of this year, the program has distributed more than $122,000 in assistance with an average utility payment of $596.
“It means so much to not have that gas bill to stress on anymore,” Melina shared. “I want to make sure things stay paid up. But that’s been hard. So I’m really thankful to United Way for getting this taken care of so I can keep working on getting back on my feet. I can’t wait to start walking Lily in the neighborhood again.”