Post Falls, St. Vincent de Paul team up to help people with utility bills

The city of Post Falls is teaming up with St. Vincent de Paul North Idaho to accept donations to help people pay utility bills.

"Cooperation with community organizations is vital," said Mayor Randy Westlund on Wednesday. "We all live in the same community and all care about doing what we can to make it a better place to live."

Scott Ferguson, CEO of St. Vincent de Paul North Idaho, said Westlund reached out after learning of their utility assistance program. St. Vincent de Paul operates utility assistance programs for other municipalities, including Coeur d'Alene. 

"Having opportunities to utilize the community's generosity when they opt to give above and beyond their utility bill is something that we were honored to be presented with," Ferguson said.

Residents can select St. Vincent de Paul as their donation recipient when paying their city utility bill. The partnership comes not long after Post Falls ended its utility-bill assistance program. Many were critical of the move.

Westlund said he chose St. Vincent de Paul not just because of its program, but because he believes it disperses donation funds appropriately and is not "just handing out money." 

"They work with people to find long-term solutions so that assistance doesn't have to be permanent," he said. 

He said the "built-in accountability" is beneficial for everyone and allows them to reach more people. 

Ferguson said that one of the missions of St. Vincent de Paul North Idaho is to continue to provide services to "neighbors in need." He said the organization wants to ensure that anyone who comes to it with a need can be considered for help. 

"Specifically in this economic climate it's a challenge to pay basic bills," he said. 

He said as prices and inflation continue to increase, St. Vincent de Paul is seeing an increase in demand for its services.

Westlund said that to counter the financial unrest being experienced, communities need to know each other and have strong bonds. 

"I want everyone to consider that you can't love someone you don't know, and you can't help someone you don't know is struggling," he said.