State officials helping low-income Pine Belt residents weatherize homes

FORREST COUNTY, Miss. - State officials from South Central Community Action Agency helped Forrest county residents "weatherize" their homes Friday morning.

Low-income residents filled out weatherize assistance forms in hopes for the state to assist them on saving money with their monthly energy bills.

Social Services Director Jolyn Winn said, "Well with our weatherization program we try to help clients make their homes energy efficient, what happens they come in for our intake, and our coordinators go out and assess the home.”

Winn added, "Mississippi is considered a low poverty state and this is a service that we like to offer people, to help them, with their income.”

The state has a budget of $1.4 million to help low-income families. Sheletta Buckley Executive Director of South Central Community Action Agency said the state's goal is to become entirely energy efficient.

“We install installation in their homes, we also check all the major appliances to ensure there operating effectively and efficiently" said Buckley.

Case Manager Beverly Wynn, who is out on the field every day said there is a need to educate the public on energy efficient equipment.

Wynn told FOX 23 News, “You know a lot of people are not going to the energy efficient light bulbs, I do not know if that is a thing."

She continued, "We try to stress that a lot because the energy efficient light bulbs are in, everything is going to energy efficient now, and if we can just get them to switch to energy efficient light bulbs, you would see a big difference, just with that.”

Officials said they hope this year's budget will help at least 120 families.

To learn more about the weatherize program, you can click here.