Immediate access to a telephone could make the difference between life or death in a crisis, yet an estimated 15,000 people statewide have no phones.

State and city officials and representatives from social services from Bangor and Penobscot County canvassed Bangor’s Capehart neighborhood last week promoting Phone ME., a statewide campaign aimed at providing subsidized phone services to low-income and elderly households.

Tom Kane, the campaign’s director, estimated that in Bangor alone 1,000 people are eligible for reduced phone installations and as many as 8,000 are eligible for a reduction in their phone bills. Since January when the phones-in-all-homes campaign began, more than 24,000 eligible households throughout the state have been signed up, he said.

During Thursday’s campaign, 87 Bangor residents signed up for the program, said Rep. Everett Pederson, D-Bangor, who was one of the canvassers. Other volunteers for the campaign included state Sen. John Baldacci, D-District 10, Bangor City Councilor Pat Blanchette, Kane and representatives from the Eastern Area Agency on Aging, and from the Pine Tree Legal Assistance Inc.

Of those without phones, Kane estimated that 95 percent don’t have them because they can’t afford them.

Bald Mountain Drive resident Sherri King was among the many people who spoke with the Phone ME envoys. King knows all too well how necessary phones are.

A single parent, King said she had to get her phone disconnected three months ago after the bills became to much for her to handle. The money for her phone bills went to paying other bills, she said.

The mother of a young girl, King worries about how she can reach a doctor or poison control in a hurry if she needs to. The phone is vital in everyday and emergency situations, she said. In addition, having no phone has made job hunting more difficult, and messages have to be left at a neighbor’s house across the street.

“That’s your lifeline right there,” King said of phones.

To be eligible for the subsidies at least one person in the household must be receiving assistance from one of the following: Aid to Families with Dependent Children, Medicaid, food stamps, Supplemental Security Income, or fuel assistance. In addition to qualify, a simple form must be filled out.

In return, those who qualify for the federal funds can get phone service installed for only $10, below the $44.75 average installation cost in Bangor. Those with existing phone service can reduce their monthly phone bill by $7.

Funding for the reduced installations and half the cost of the monthly reductions is covered by the Federal government. The remainder of the monthly subsidy is built into the rate structure of the phone company, Baldacci said.

Universal telephone service was first mandated by Congress in 1937, but apathy and a lack of awareness contributed to the delay in pushing for it, Kane said. In addition, a number of those attending a Bangor City Hall press conference last week said that pride has prevented some for asking for help.