In Clark County, households across our communities continue to struggle to make ends meet as they endure ongoing financial hardships brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Understanding the difficulties many in the community are facing, Clark Public Utilities continues to offer financial assistance to customers in need.
“Our customer service representatives speak to people who’ve lost their jobs, or still have their jobs, but had their hours cut, and are facing some very tough choices at home,” said Clark Public Utilities Community Care Manager Chiharu Russell. “Knowing the pandemic would have serious financial consequences, the utility enacted an emergency community response early in the pandemic so we could help customers get the assistance they needed quickly.”
The utility hasn’t changed income qualifications for any of its assistance programs, but it has changed the timeframe used to determine eligibility for several, and increased the maximum benefit. Historically, the utility has reviewed a household’s income over a three-month period to see if they qualify for assistance. During the pandemic, the Community Care representatives now examine the previous calendar month of a customer’s income. Customers may also be eligible for a larger amount of assistance than they would have this time last year.
“When customers call us about financial assistance, not only will we review their account to see what in-house programs they might qualify for, but we also check if they’ll qualify for other public assistance programs,” Russell said. “They often do.”
First and foremost: no one is without electricity or water from Clark Public Utilities; the utility has suspended service disconnections and made this decision prior to state direction. Additionally, a taskforce has worked to identify customer needs and ensure utility programs and processes are available to ease the burden of efforts to stop the spread of COVID-19. Programs include:
The Senior Rate Credit program is available to households with at least one person 62 or older who meets the income eligibility limits. Due to the pandemic, the program offers an increased credit of up to $500 on the previous January through April electric heating bills. The credits will be applied directly to the customer’s account after they’ve qualified.
The Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program, commonly known as LIHEAP, provides federal funds to households that are unable to pay their home heating bills. Clark Public Utilities administers it on behalf of Clark County.
While the utility’s in-house heating assistance programs are for customers with electric heat systems, LIHEAP is “fuel blind” meaning Clark County residents can receive support no matter how they heat their homes. As a seasonal program, LIHEAP begins offering appointments each year in October.
Operation Warm Heart is an income-based program built to help households experiencing a financial crisis. The entirely donation-supported program helps customers in need pay electric winter heating bills. The program’s maximum credit has also been raised to $500, based on the customer’s account.
If you’re able, consider supporting others during this unprecedented moment in history with a donation to Operation Warm Heart. All contributions go directly to families in need and may be tax-deductible. To give, add a contribution to your monthly utility payment, call the customer service department or make a one-time donation on our website. Information is also available at RaceforWarmth.com, the annual fundraising run benefitting Operation Warm Heart that continues this year in a virtual format.
To find out more about financial assistance for yourself or someone else, or to make a contribution to Operation Warm Heart, call our customer service department at 360-992-3000. 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.
