City of Palm Springs issued the following announcement on Dec. 30.
A Riverside County agency, the Community Action Partnership of Riverside County (CAP Riverside), has funding available to assist low-income households who are behind on bills for essential services.
CAP Riverside’s Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) can help with payments for heating and cooling bills. Additionally, through expanded federal funding from the CARES Act, CAP Riverside can now help with water, sewer, trash, telephone and Internet bills. The assistance is open to residents throughout Riverside County. CAP Riverside is offering one-on-one phone appointments to help complete the application, gather the necessary documents and submit the application for review.
CAP Riverside is currently accepting applications for assistance by mail, email, or in one of four drop boxes (Blythe, Desert Hot Springs, Hemet and Riverside). Residents can find the application online or by calling CAP Riverside at 951-955-4900 to request an application be mailed to them.
“Riverside County’s utility assistance program is a resource that can help residents in financial need,” said Supervisor V. Manuel Perez. “Utility assistance can relieve some hardship and pay down these bills.
The payments are made directly to utilities, so they receive support that can help them continue being flexible with customers during this emergency and provide services that are essential for staying home. Programs like these have a ripple effect that helps the community as a whole through these difficult times.”
For electric and gas utility assistance, customers should fill out the application at https://www.capriverside.org/program/utilityassistanceprogram titled “LIHEAP Application,” which is available in English and Spanish.
If the resident lives within the City of Riverside, they can also fill out the “SHARE” application, also on the same Web page, which will help with additional utility assistance.
For assistance with water, sewer, trash, telephone and Internet bills, customers should fill out the CAP CARES Program application, which is located at these links:
• English application – https://www.capriverside.org/Portals/2/PDF/HomePageRotatorLinks/CARES_application _12_10_20.
• Spanish application – https://www.capriverside.org/Portals/2/PDF/HomePageRotatorLinks/Spanish_CARES_A pplication_12_10_20
“We are encouraging everyone to apply for assistance now,” says Carrie Harmon, Interim Executive Director of CAP Riverside. Ms. Harmon continued, “even though the utility companies are not disconnecting customers, the unpaid balance continues to grow.
CAP Riverside is positioned to help people help themselves out of this economic hardship, but the customer must make the first move. And that first move is dial 951-955-4900 and speak to our advisors.” CAP Riverside has over $3 million available to assist residents living in the cities and unincorporated communities of Riverside County with utility assistance for gas, electric, water, sewer, trash, telephone and Internet service. Payments are made directly to the utility provider on behalf of the customer.
Becky Broughton, one of Supervisor Perez’s representatives to the Imperial Irrigation District Energy Consumers Advisory Committee, said, “I am thrilled that this utility assistance will be another resource for customers to access and receive help. There has been a real need, and this utility assistance can help in these challenging times so that our residents are able to be safe and healthy at home.”
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