Natural gas prices are continuing to increase at a dramatic rate and Heartland residents are feeling the full brunt of the damage.
Last year, the Community Action Partnership of Northeast Missouri saw over 1,000 people reach out for assistance when it came to paying their bills and this year that number has grown at an outstanding rate.
"Last year we helped out a little over 1,400 and as of right now, I looked at the numbers yesterday, and we have processed almost 700 applications, which is almost triple the amount that we processed at this time last year," CSBG Director Edna Whitlock said.
The number of people needing assistance in the area could grow even more.
The Missouri Public Service Commission announced on Tuesday that natural gas rates will be going up for Liberty Utilities customers.
Residents living in Clark, Lewis, Knox and Scotland counties will see an increase of 38 cents per hundred cubic feet, while residents of Macon, Adair and Schuyler counties will see almost a dollar more per hundred cubic feet.
This could cause a long-term problem for residents as there are a limited amount of relief services that can be provided.
"It's hard, especially for fixed-income individuals, to be able to pay for those utility bills and with those utility bills being higher, the crisis funds don't stretch out as long as they normally do, so they're able to use them, but they've run out of them a lot quicker than they have in the past year," Whitlock said.
The Community Action Partnership of Northeast Missouri helps residents who are struggling to pay their bills through their Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program or LIHEAP.
This program looks to help residents keep their heat on by providing financial support.
"(The) state offers a one-time payment for whichever they put is their first utility and after that one-time payment, there are crisis funds that are available to help people," Whitlock said.
If you are in need of help, you can call the Community Action Partnership of Northeast Missouri at (660) 665-9855.