Kristina and David shared their experiences working with the IDA program that helped them purchase a home for their family.

With tears in her eyes Kristina addressed the audience at SELF's 2010 Donor & Volunteer Appreciation Reception on September 30, "It is because of Jerry, our support specialist, and SELF that we were able to do this. Before joining the Individual Development Account (IDA) program, we did not know what to do, where to turn to, or what was going to become of us," she said.

Her husband David stood beside her, holding their 18 month old son as she offered her appreciation to the supporters of the program that helped the couple provide a home for their three young children.  David took to the microphone to explain that the lessons they learned through the IDA's financial education courses taught them how to better monitor their spending and budget for necessities and emergencies.  He stressed that it enabled them to overcome nearly $10,000 of debt and go on to become homeowners.

After they were seated, a half dozen teary-eyed SELF supporters flocked to Kristina and David to shake their hands and congratulate them on their accomplishments.

While Kristina & David were the highlight of the evening for many of those in attendance, SELF also shined a spotlight on the Group Workcamps volunteers that tirelessly helped plan for the project and prep and repair 35 homes throughout the summer. 

The SELF Board & staff would like to thank everyone who joined us for the memorable evening!  To view pictures of the event, please visit SELF's Facebook page.

HEAP Receptionist Marilyn Dickerson greets a customer seeking utility assistance.

While temperatures soared this

summer, so did the number of Butler County residents seeking utility assistance.  Supports to Encourage Low-income Families' Summer Crisis Cooling program helped 926 households, predominantly for the elderly or people with health problems, pay their utilities and provided 66 of those homes with air conditioning units.  This is nearly double the number of homes served last summer and a record high number of families served in the agency's 14-year history.

November 1 marks the start of the Emergency Home Energy Assistance Program (E-HEAP) which continues through March 31, 2011.  E-HEAP helps low-income households with a disconnect notice keep their utilities on so they can heat their homes.  Based on the summer's record-breaking season, SELF is gearing up for a busy winter. 

"Last winter, we served more than 3,900 households in Butler County.  Based on our summer numbers, we're expecting to see a higher demand of households requesting assistance this season," says Home Energy Assistance Program (HEAP) Coordinator Athena Maly.

The agency's Hamilton and Middletown locations will once again assist county residents file for both E-HEAP and Regular-Heap (R-HEAP) as well as verify and re-verify customers of unregulated utility providers for the Percentage of Income Payment Plan (PIPP).  Home visits are also available for the elderly or people with disabilities.