The organization that has helped thousands of people keep their homes is enjoying a new one of its own.

The Emergency Services Council, formerly a volunteer organization, is run by the Ballard Community Center, complete with two paid staff members and a central database.

After prompting by the United Way, the Ballard Center, 708 Elm, took control of the understaffed council Jan. 1. The ESC helps from 2,000 to 3,000 people a year when an emergency temporarily leaves them unable to pay their bills. Applicants could receive as much as $200 in a 12-month period. To be eligible applicants must meet poverty guidelines and have a notice of eviction or utility disconnection. Applicants that earn more than the income guidelines can still be considered with documented proof of income and expenses from the past 30 days.

For recipients, the relief provided by an ESC award could mean the difference between keeping their apartments and being homeless.

“Keeping people in a stable environment is important,” said Chip Blaser, development director for the Ballard Center. “That’s what this program is really all about.”

Before the ESC relinquished command, volunteers had to sort stacks of client information from the application sites. They then filed and stored thousands of records in file cabinet in the offices of Douglas County Senior Services, 745 Vt. Senior services is among seven organizations that continue to accept and process applications for the ESC. Along with Senior Services, Douglas County ECKAN, 1600 Haskell Ave.; Pelathe Resource Community Center, 1423 Haskell Ave.; Penn House, 1035 Pa.; Salvation Army, 946 N.H., and Women’s Transitional Care Service, 2518 Ridge Court, all accept applications without reimbursement for their services.

William Arnold has been a member of the ESC off and on since the organization began in 1971. He has spent the past several years as the council’s treasurer, writing checks and grant applications. He said merging with the Ballard Center would take the burden off volunteers and provide better service for clients.

The ESC had battled dwindling support the past few years, he said. At most, eight of the council’s 28 members — comprised of community members, representatives for churches and utility companies — regularly attended meetings. The result was an increasingly unstructured organization and a message from the United Way: merge or risk losing United Way funding.

“We were sufficiently unstable last year that we would run out of money in a given week,” Arnold said. “We would have to tell the agencies we couldn’t take any more applications.”

Volunteer treasurers were responsible for writing checks to utility companies and landlords. The treasurers also handled client information and applied for grants that are critical to the council’s operation.

The ESC headquarters are in the Ballard Center, where Blaser and his staff process applications and handle all financial responsibilities.

The ESC is already reaping the benefits from the merger, Blaser said.

Through the Ballard Center’s grant applications, the council has secured a new $9,600 Community Development Block Grant administered by the city.

The Ballard Center will not face any extra operating costs with the addition of the ESC, Blaser said. Grants from the city, Douglas County, United Way and private donors already were in place to cover the council’s $50,000 annual budget.