Providence, RI (November 3, 2005) - With skyrocketing heating bills expected again this winter, Citizens Bank and Charter One Bank are announcing the "Shelter Heating Assistance Campaign," a fuel assistance initiative to help defray this season's heating costs for more than 345 homeless shelters. Citizens launched the initiative throughout New England last winter and has expanded this year's campaign to help Midwest shelters in paying their winter heating bills. Heating costs are expected to increase by at least one-third this year following recent hurricanes' impact on U.S. energy production.
The Citizens Bank and Charter One Foundations will provide a $575,000 lead gift to the campaign to assist homeless shelters in paying their winter heating bills. In addition, Citizens and Charter One branches throughout New England and the Midwest will accept additional contributions from customers and the general public. Donations will be accepted at all 930 Citizens Bank branches throughout Rhode Island, Massachusetts, Connecticut, New Hampshire, Vermont, Illinois, Michigan and Ohio between now and January 31, 2006.
In Rhode Island, Citizens Bank is partnering with NBC 10 and The Rhode Island Coalition for the Homeless and has pledged $75,000 toward the effort. The coalition will distribute the funds to area homeless shelters. Rhode Island shelters that will benefit from the donations are: Interim House, Women's Center of Rhode Island, Amos House, Crossroads Family Shelter, Sojourner House, Advent House, New Hope Emergency Shelter, Blackstone Valley Advocacy Center, Woonsocket Shelter, Rhode Island Family Shelter, Elizabeth Buffum Chase House, Warwick House of Hope, Domestic Violence Resource Center of South County, Welcome House of South County, Galilee Mission to Fisherman, Warm Westerly Area Rest & Meals, Lucy's Hearth and the Women's Resource Center of Newport & Bristol Counties.
"Heating costs continue to rise. Last winter, with the help of our customers and the community, we successfully donated more than $69,000 to help Rhode Island homeless shelters pay their winter heating bills," said Joseph J. MarcAurele, President and CEO of Citizens Bank. "It will cost even more this year. We ask the community to join us again in our efforts to help ensure warm shelter and critical support services for those who need our assistance most."
"Working together to raise awareness of this critical need in our community is especially crucial this year as heating costs continue to increase," said Lisa Churchville, NBC 10 President and General Manager. "NBC 10 is committed to supporting the Shelter Heating Assistance Campaign through this partnership with Citizens Bank and the Rhode Island Coalition for the Homeless."
According to the U.S. Department of Energy, households are expected to spend 48 percent more this winter on fuel if they heat primarily with natural gas, 32 percent more if they primarily heat with heating oil, 30 percent more if they heat primarily with propane and 5 percent more if they heat primarily with electricity. For shelters, rising heating costs pose budget strains on critical programs and services offered to the homeless.
"The Citizens Bank Foundation's recognition of the crisis of homelessness in our state and its generous donation toward energy for our shelters will literally mean more food on the table and more services for those without homes of their own," said Kathy Jellison, Interim Executive Director of the Rhode Island Coalition for the Homeless. "When our operating expenses rise, the first things to suffer are services and meals. Thanks to Citizens, those staying at area shelters will continue to have a meal, stay warm and be able to benefit from additional services to help them find permanent housing."
Rhode Island area shelters expect to see a significant increase in heating costs this year over last. The latest numbers on homelessness in Rhode Island are staggering. In 2004, more than 6,000 Rhode Islanders sought emergency shelter, a record number for the third year in a row. The number of families needing shelter last year rose 8% to nearly 800, while the number of children living in shelters rose 8% to more than 1,500.
Other housing partners across New England who received funding grants from the Citizens Bank Foundation include: MASSCAP in Massachusetts, which received $75,000; the New Hampshire Coalition to End Homelessness, which received $75,000; the Vermont Low Income Advocacy Council, which received $75,000; and the Connecticut Coalition to End Homelessness, which received $25,000.
Citizens Financial Group, Inc. is a $148 billion commercial bank holding company. It is headquartered in Providence, R.I., and has more than 1,600 branches, approximately 3,100 ATMs and more than 27,000 employees. It operates its 13-state branch network in Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois, Indiana, Massachusetts, Michigan, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, and has non-branch offices in more than 30 states. Citizens is the eighth-largest commercial banking company in the United States ranked by deposits. Citizens is owned by RBS (The Royal Bank of Scotland Group plc).