Are you in danger of having your utilities turned off?
I remember all too well those days when paying a bill was a frustrating and hopeless experience, when I would half-jokingly say “I don’t even have time to ask for help with this!”. When my choices were paying for the gas that would take me to work, or paying the electric bill that allowed me to run my laptop so I could finish the schooling that would get me the new job that would make it easier to pay BOTH those bills. When I would cry when I saw freezing or above 100F temps because I knew our power bill would be astronomical. Doing spreadsheets to organize household laundry timing for lower-fee hours. Trying solar, and blowing through our savings for the generator when the system had issues and we couldn’t find anyone to fix it. I do not miss those days.
But if you are in this position now, there may be help available and it is my pleasure to tell you about some of these resources and encourage you to apply for them to see if you qualify! If you feel guilty about asking for or needing assistance, please apply anyways….someday, when you are in a better financial position, you can pay it forward, donate, fundraise, or cover a loved one’s bill, but today is not that day, and that is no reason to feel ashamed or suffer without power, water, or other necessary utilities. Many of us go through these hard times, and the rising costs of living right now are hard for far too many hard-working people to keep up with.
PGE has a page with programs to prevent shutoffs including FERA, CARE, REACH https://www.pge.com/en/account/billing-and-assistance/financial-assistance.html
Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP): A federally funded program that helps low-income households pay for heating and cooling. LIHEAP also offers weatherization services to improve energy efficiency and health and safety. https://www.csd.ca.gov/Pages/LIHEAPProgram.aspx
Energy Crisis Intervention Program (ECIP): Provides assistance to low-income households in crisis situations including 48-hour shutoff notices. 209-537-9217 https://www.cvoc.org/energy-assistance
California Alternate Rates for Energy (CARE): Provides a discount on electric and natural gas bills to qualified households including those with medical disabilities. https://www.cpuc.ca.gov/consumer-support/financial-assistance-savings-and-discounts/california-alternate-rates-for-energy
Family Electric Rate Assistance (FERA): Provides a discount on electricity bills to households with slightly higher incomes than CARE qualifications. https://www.cpuc.ca.gov/consumer-support/financial-assistance-savings-and-discounts/family-electric-rate-assistance-program
Energy Savings Assistance Program: Provides free weatherization services to consumers who meet CARE income limits. * They actually replaced my fridge back in the day, though it can take a few months! * https://www.pge.com/en/save-energy-and-money/energy-saving-programs.html
The Salvation Army: An international movement that offers utility rent and utility assistance. https://www.salvationarmyusa.org/usn/rent-mortgage-and-utility-assistance/
Lifeline:Lifeline is a federal program that helps people with a low income get discounted telephone or internet service. Learn about eligibility, applying, and getting help with your service. https://www.usa.gov/help-with-phone-internet-bills
Energy Assistance Fund (EAF): A charitable, non-profit organization from Southern California Edison that offers direct payment assistance to those in need.
Waking the Village of Sacramento: Help for those facing eviction or homelessness, they covered a client’s entire rental payment once, with no strings and just an online form and quick, respectful home visit! https://www.wakingthevillage.org/prevention-and-intervention
Hopefully some of these resources can help you, I will continue to add to this list as I find new ones. Hang in there!
