uncharted Utility companies are urging those families and others who may need help for the first time to apply for additional programs or give them a call.
“We saw an increase in phone calls by over 30 percent in our largest utility program, so the need for utility assistance is real,” said Alan Michel, Dollar Energy Fund COO.
Thousands of the most vulnerable households are facing the “heat or eat” dilemma, with the delay of both SNAP benefits and the start of LIHEAP, a federal energy assistance program.
“Blankets, hoodies – we try to stay as warm as possible, said Nicholas Edmonds of Carnegie. “Everybody is struggling here.”
It’s a one-two punch for Edmonds, who works full-time to support his family and has picked up extra hours, trying to make ends meet.
“We are struggling with some of our bills, but you know, we’re making do and doing what we can to make that work,” Edmonds said.
LIHEAP customers can apply for a customer assistance program (CAP) offered through Peoples Gas and Duquesne Light. There are income requirements for CAP, as well as Peoples’ ‘Usage Reduction Program,’ but that is not the case for DLC’s Customer Assistance and Referral Evaluation Services (CARES). It’s a program for those facing payment challenges and temporary hardships.
Andrea Stanford, the general manager of Duquesne Light Company, called the current times “unprecedented,” “uncertain,” and “uncharted.”
“There are folks who, historically, have not considered themselves to be low income, and maybe for the first time they’re experiencing the need to reach out for energy assistance,” said Stanford.
The Dollar Energy Fund offers utility assistance grants for low-income households who are at risk of having their utilities turned off. Applicants must submit information for each utility and must apply for LIHEAP once it opens. Right now, it’s delayed until December.
“It’s good that the utility companies are starting to help people a bit because utilities are high enough, and they’ve gone up, and I just know they’re going to keep going up,” Edmonds said.
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