For many in Clark County, facing down the coronavirus pandemic comes at a high price.
This unprecedented situation brings painful new economic realities, most of which are felt immediately, but brings others that don’t manifest until weeks later. Yet when they do, they can make a difficult situation feel much worse.
“On a daily basis, our customer service representatives speak with people who suddenly found themselves or someone in their household without a job,” Clark Public Utilities Community Care Manager Gretchen Alexander said. “At the same time, household expenses for things like food and electricity started going up because they were spending more time at home. So they’re struggling to cover those additional expenses in addition to their regular monthly bills.”
Recognizing that many customers are enduring financial hardships related to the coronavirus, Clark Public Utilities is offering assistance. During their regular meeting Tuesday, the utility’s Board of Commissioners extended the utility’s ongoing emergency community response to help more people qualify for assistance more quickly.
“Income qualifications didn’t change for any program, but the time frame we use to determine eligibility for several of them has changed to reflect the abruptness of the crisis,” Alexander said. “Under the Emergency Community Response, if a household is ineligible based on the four-month economic snapshot we typically consider, we may be able to evaluate their eligibility based on the last 30 days.”
The Guarantee of Service Program is a prime example. The program is still household-income based, but Customer Service Representatives can look at the previous 30 days to customer determine eligibility.
The Senior Rate Credit program has been temporarily increased from up to a 75 percent credit (up to $500) on the previous January through April electric heating bills to income-qualified households with at least one person 62 or older. Households that have already received a credit this year will automatically receive an additional credit.
Operation Warm Heart is an income based program that helps those in financial crisis pay electric bills. For the duration of the COVID-19 crisis, the maximum benefit offered by the program has been raised from $300 to $500, based on the balance on a customer’s account.
Entirely funded by customer donations, it is designed to catch those who would slip through the cracks — people in financial crisis that may not qualify for other forms of assistance.
“We’re hearing from those folks regularly now — people who would never expect to find themselves struggling with their monthly expenses, but were impacted practically overnight,” Alexander said. “They may recently have lost income, incurred new medical bills, started caring for ill relatives. Programs like Operation Warm Heart can provide relief in one area and frees up money to meet another need.”
If you’re looking for a way to support your community during this unprecedentedly difficult time, consider making a contribution to Operation Warm Heart. Every dollar given goes directly to customers in need. Each donation is tax-deductible and is easy to make. Simply add a contribution to your monthly utility payment, call our customer service department or make a one-time donation on our website.
Additionally, the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program, or LIHEAP, which the utility administers on behalf of Clark County, was modified to grant recipients a larger benefit. If households already received a benefit, they may be able to qualify for extra support.
To find out whether your household qualifies for financial assistance or to make a contribution to Operation Warm Heart, call Clark Public Utilities at 360-992-3000. Customer service representatives are available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Information is also available at clarkpublicutilities.com.
Energy Adviser is written by Clark Public Utilities. Send questions to ecod@clarkpud.com or to Energy Adviser, c/o Clark Public Utilities, P.O. Box 8900, Vancouver, WA 98668.
