On frigid winter mornings in British Columbia, Melissa Xue and her child would wake up already cold. They kept their winter jackets on indoors for warmth.
Their rental home, more than 50 years old, was drafty and difficult to heat. Their only heating option was old and when it kicked on, flames shot out from the aging system. Each time, Melissa worried that something might go drastically wrong.
Her heating bills climbed past $700 a month, but the house was still freezing. As a renter, Melissa had no power to fix it herself. She repeatedly reached out to her landlord to find a solution, but they refused to pay to replace the furnace. Technicians wouldn’t repair the system since it was too old. Already balancing three jobs while raising a child and adapting to a new country and language, Melissa felt stuck. The cold and the stress became constant, but her experience went beyond discomfort.
Over time, the stress of her situation began showing up in her body and affecting her health. Melissa's eczema grew increasingly severe due to living with the uncertainty and unresolved worry of an unsafe home.
It wasn’t until Kambo’s Empower Me program helped her access a new heating system and insulation that she began to feel relief; not only financially, but emotionally and physically.
Before connecting with Empower Me, Melissa didn't know that help existed. She had never heard of energy rebates or programs for renters dealing with inefficient homes. As a Mandarin speaker, the language barrier made everything more difficult. She couldn’t easily navigate program websites, scan through utility documents, or find out who to call for help. She had begun to assume that support didn’t exist for someone in her situation: a newcomer to Canada, a renter, and a single mother.
But when Melissa was looking for help to clean the ducts in her home, a technician mentioned to her that a Mandarin-speaking Empower Me mentor named Anna helped people apply for home upgrade rebates through a local WeChat group. It was the first time anyone had pointed her toward a resource that might actually help. For Melissa, hearing that someone spoke her language changed everything. She reached out and found the support she needed through Empower Me.
As a trusted Energy Advisor, Anna walked Melissa through every step of the rebate process in Mandarin, helping her understand the programs, gather documents, complete applications, and communicate with her landlord. Instead of feeling overwhelmed by paperwork and unfamiliar systems, Melissa felt supported and understood. A process that once felt impossible became manageable because it was delivered through trusted, community-based support and in her own language.
It wasn't just the new heating system or insulation that mattered — it was the experience of being supported by someone who listened, understood her situation, and believed her problem could be solved.
Today, Melissa and her child only wear their winter coats outside. Melissa’s heating costs have dropped by 50%, her stress has eased, and her eczema has improved. For the first time, her home feels safe.
Stories like Melissa's reveal a pattern: people are not excluded from support because help doesn't exist, but because unfamiliar systems in an unfamiliar language can feel impossible to navigate alone. Trusted, community-based support changes that equation entirely, and that is exactly what Empower Me is designed to do.
写这封邮件的主要原因是我想表达一下我的谢意。
非常感谢Empower Me项目的支持，让我作为租客也能享受到能源补贴的优惠。希望更多的租客也能享受到这样的帮助。
再次感谢
Melissa Xue
I’m writing this email to express my heartfelt gratitude.
I’m truly grateful for the support from the Empower Me program—it allowed me, as a renter, to benefit from the energy rebate. I hope more tenants can also have access to this kind of help.
Thank you again for all your support and kindness.
Warm regards,
Melissa Xue
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