PEORIA, Ill. – The cost of living was the overarching theme of a roundtable discussion at Peoria Township Hall on Wednesday with the Peoria-area’s Democratic Congressman.
17th District Congressman Eric Sorensen (D-Moline) listened to leaders from the township, TazWood Community Services, and other organizations. The focus was on rising utility costs, but other affordability concerns were raised as well.
Sorensen says one way to address utility cost concerns is to make more energy available.
“As a coal power plant gets taken off, we’ve got to make sure that that energy source is replaced with something else, but it is increased, but we’re using more energy than we did before,” Sorensen said.
Sorensen says that also includes providers such as Ameren and ComEd being “good faith partners” in helping people afford their bills. He says that includes developing new strategies on adding energy.
But Sorensen noted that utility costs are only part of an all encompassing concern. Representatives told the Congressman that they’re seeing people struggling with
Peoria Township Supervisor LaTrina Leary told the group the people seeking assistance from them are seeing rising costs for prescriptions, medical concerns, taxes, gas, and more. She says collectively, it’s impacting the ability of some families to make ends meet.
Leary says they’re seeing more people in need of assistance, with one of the fastest rising groups being seniors on fixed income. She says most of the people they’re seeing have income, but they don’t have enough to combat the rising cost of living.
TazWood Community Services CEO Lindsey Nance says rising food and rent costs are having adverse effects on people struggling to pay bills. She says her organization has taken more than 20,000 applications for energy assistance this year, paying out more than $9 million to people living in Sorensen’s 17th District.
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