“Every day is worse…”
Maru is not alone in thinking that the financial situation of most New York families is becoming more pressing.
The cost of living in the five boroughs continues to rise astronomically, and now on top of record inflation of more than 7.5 percent—the highest in 40 years—is adding significant increases to the cost of energy.
“Literally you have to juggle: one month you stop paying it or you pay it. This month you pay a ‘bill’, and the other you don’t, paying little by little,” explained another neighbor.
An analysis of the publication The City reflects that at the state level almost 1.3 million homes have been delayed 60 days or more, accumulating debts of more than 1,700 million dollars with companies such as ConEdison.
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With the moratorium that existed so that the debtor’s service would not be canceled expired, and the state assistance program for these payments being exclusive to households that qualify for federal aid, migrant families feel the avalanche of debt grow on their shoulders.
“Inflation is at its best… the electricity bill, the same. And then they call you on the phone because the expenses are overdue and it seems that they are even going to cut off the service and then, what can we do? Maru added.
“In any case, we have to pay it, because without it, what are we going to do? But if they give us a little help to those of us who work, it would be much better,” said another neighbor.
“I would tell those who manage all this to put their hands on their conscience and in some way help the population in general, because it’s not that we don’t want to pay, it’s that we can’t,” another neighbor added.
Several groups asked Governor Kathy Hochul to include in her budget $1.25 billion for retroactive payments to energy companies, which the state could channel from the $12.25 billion in COVID relief the state received from the federal government.
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