Oregon Public Broadcasting

The economic downturn is affecting more and more Oregonians as the weather turns cold and damp.

The non-profit Oregon HEAT works to help families who can no longer afford their utility bills.

Executive Director Roger Rees says when times are tough people tend to turn down their thermostats, even if temperatures hover just around freezing.

He says the state and the City of Portland have both found the demand for services and financial help rising substantially.

Rees: "They’re seeing a dramatic increase in the number of people that have never been in crisis that are needing help now and this is absolutely their first time, with nowhere else to turn. And if we run into some extremely bad weather it’s going to become acute immediately."

Rees says the state estimated 429,000 families were at risk of a financial crisis last winter. This year’s estimate won’t arrive until January, but Rees expects it will be definitively higher.

Oregon HEAT has partnered with PGE and PacifiCorp to put donation envelopes in their customers' monthly bills for November and February. 90 percent of the money given goes directly to needy Oregon families.