I assume this is a standard assistance line for everyone in the US, but I've used the 211 line several times to locate services or assistance. They have the hook up on nearly everything. Just dial 211 and they can direct you to what ever assistance you need in your community.
Here are the questions asked by community members. Read on to see the answers provided by the ThriftyFun community.
I have had to use utility money to buy food for my family. My electric service will be shut off by Friday, May 13th if I don't pay it. I need emergency help.
Thanks.
By Tiffany
Talk to your county. Most counties have a welfare department that will provide one time help for things like that. However, you will be expected to pay it back. You probably would have been better off asking different churches, the Salvation Army, etc. for help with food. If you are that hard up, see about getting on food stamps.
Talk to the electric company, they have plans for low-income and might have an emergency (one-time) arrangement they will set you up with. I don't know if you have already talked to them (and they are still turning you off), but sometimes the bill can be stalled a while longer if you just call and tell them the situation. In Texas, if you have small children they used to not be able to turn off the electricity (if they know you have small children), I don't know if that has changed or might apply to your state.
In Illinois we have an energy assistance program. I would do a search on your state energy assistance programs (Illinois Energy Assistance program etc).or call your energy company directly. Sometimes they will work with you.
Most area's have an emergency phone no. now, try 211, they will give a list of number's in your area to call, Good Luck!
Not trying to be harsh with you but you truly shouldn't have waited until last ditch minute to look for help especially when it takes more than one late bill for the utilities to be cut off. Unless laws have changed drastically in the past couple of years it usually takes two or more months of not even making a partial payment effort for a utility company cutoff to occur because of protection laws.
You can still try calling your local utility company and ask for a few more days delay and call the other places already mentioned here for possible help so you might be able to avoid the shutoff. If not, at least it's springtime now with more mild temperatures and not the dead of winter so having no utilities will simply be an annoying inconvenience.
In the future, please apply for food coupons through your local Department of Social Services and also visit your local food banks on a regular basis for food assistance. Please don't put off taking care of stuff without reaching out for help before the need is dire and especially since you mention you have a family to care for.
If any in your household are under a doctor's care, you may be able to get a 30 day medical extension if the doctor writes a letter to the electric company.
Catholic Charities and the Salvation Army are just two of the places that help with this.
The Red Cross help my family when that happen to me.
msweed
Contact the department of Social Service. You may qualify for a grant or loan through the government. If you get help from an organization, some organizations like to split the cost with two other organizations. Or call the electric company and ask to be put on a budget. Then they may divide what you owe over the year with your regular bill.
Consider using some solar lighting. Out side you can use recycle such as pop bottles or other recycled items for solar lighting. Fill clear pop bottles at least three fourths full with water. Add a couple tea spoons of bleach. Cover with the tops. Leave out in the sun. They absorb light and act as solar lighting.
Good luck with your situation!
I wonder how long the bottles with the liquid bleach sitting in the sun for Solar lighting will last once you bring them in the house. Cool idea if it works.
First I understand your predicament and empathize with you. My husband of thirty five years had just passed away and I found myself penniless, and disabled. He had taken care of every and all finances imaginable throughout those years but come to find out after his death, he was flat broke , and did not have a penny to his name.
I found myself eating 1 potato a day with water, or 1 package of Ramen Noodle soup a day with water (I refuse to eat those things anymore). I have had my water turned off the day before Christmas, and it stayed off for 1 week. My electric has been shut off, I have been threatened with disconnection of my gas, and the city was in the process of attaching a lien against my house for non payment of trash pick up. Those all are only the simple things that have happened to me and the house I have lived in for forty years. They get worse, much worse.
First, you can call The Utility Commissioner's Office and they can help you come to a solution with your power company about your electric bill. They usually can on the first phone call. You can also call any Social Security Office or Government Office and get a phone number to an organization who can help. Another place to call is your local Community Action Partnership Office and they can help. The Community Action Partnership Office is the place most recommended to call for help.
Isn't it funny how many recommendations you get to go and apply for the food stamp program? People seem to think that will magically take care of the problems. Yeah, it really helped me alot. I receive $10 a month. That is it! No other help or income but I do receive Widows Benefits. Those barely pay the mortgage and I guess it's back to (gag) 1 potato a day for me.
I sure hope your situation improves for you, mine seems to worsen as the months go by and just in case you wonder if I got help with any of those places I recommended....the answer is no, they wouldn't help me at all.
I am 66 years old and really need money for a utility payment from an old bill. I'm being forced to move into an APS utility apartment, but can't afford to pay the old bill. Plus I need a bed for my grandkids.
Because you are 66 you qualify for senior discounts.Call social services they will put you in line for other discounts and help!
I would call social services and churches in your area. Both can help.
This bill has been placed with a collection service?
Try contacting senior services or family services in your city and explain the problem to them. They may be able to help you remove the bill or set up small monthly payments. Some companies will many times reduce the bill in cases like this but utility bills are more difficult because it is a service you used and did not pay for.
Or - Since this is not a current bill (collection service?) then you will probably have to contact the utility company and try to work out a way to pay this off monthly.
If they say they no longer hold this bill then you will have to contact the collection service that is billing you.
Try to work out a small monthly payment plan but be aware - you cannot miss
months or they will make the bill in default again and may add charges.
You can sometimes find help if you call United Way 211 on your phone as they have a lot of services available to low income seniors.
As to beds for your grandkids this may not be a simple matter.
Do they live with you or just visit?
Some organizations will only offer help if the children are officially living in the house at the time.
The big problem is not finding beds but getting them picked up and delivered into your home. Do you have someone that can pick up the beds?
Most places will not offer help with pick up or delivery as their insurance will not allow them to offer this help. Occasionally volunteers will offer to help with pick up but not delivery.
You can ask at Salvation Army, Goodwill, thrift stores but none of these will have delivery service and many no longer accept beds as donations due to the extreme problems with bed bugs.
Perhaps a near by church could help. You can ask at the office (even if you are not a member) and they may be able to help you.
You can check with some other agencies but if you do not have help with pick up you may not be able to get any beds.
Here are some links to check out as these have good suggestions that may work for you.
www.thriftyfun.com/
www.upstreamhealth.org/
You should also check into purchasing air mattresses from a local store as these are inexpensive and convenient if used on an off and on basis.
If you need a bed for the grandkids here are a few places you can go to see if they will help you out. They are non-profit organizations and they build and deliver beds to families in need. You may need to fill out some information online but this is a good place to start. Here are a few links to check out to see if you can get a bed for the grandkids.
As for the electric bill you can talk with your social worker, the electric company, or apply for assistance at a few orginations in your area. You might want to check around at your local church or other centers for seniors to see hat type of financial help there is available in your area. I have no idea where you are living so it is hard to say what organization to start with.
Sounds like you have a lot on your plate and need several types of help.
First about the APS bill, I am assuming this is the Arizona Public Services company???
They have a lot of info on their website about how they help people with old bills. I would start there asking for them to help (here is a link to their website) and they have a residential chat feature:
www.aps.com/
If they aren't helpful (which after some of the bad press they have had over the years, especially a woman dying because they shut her power off inappropriately) I would think they would be helpful.
If they are not helpful, are you the legal guardian for your grandchildren?
There are a number of organizations in your state to help grandparents raising grandchildren. I have not worked with them personally, so I cannot attest to how helpful they will be, but similar groups in PA are good, so I hope yours are:
Arizona Grandparent Ambassadors. 520-722-5945
Arizona Kinship Support Services web-- arizonakinship.org.
Duet Kinship Care Services. 602-274-5022 web--duetaz.org
They may be able to help you with the electricity issue AND the beds!
Post back with updates! Prayers for you to find good solutions!
Where can I get help with food and utilities in my area, Alpharetta, GA?
By esther from GA
There are food pantrys in almost every area. However, where I live you can only get food at a pantry once every six months. You also have to get a voucher from someplace like social services(food stamps) or Salvation Army. In areas that don't have a food pantry the Salvation Army usually has a food pantry set up and are real good at helping people with food. However, you do have to fill out a questionaire that includes info. about income. No matter where you ask for help remember not to wear a bunch or jewelry and good clothes(I mean like you would be dressed for work.) Also some churches will give people some groceries. Most counties have a county welfare office that helps with things like utility bills, but is a one time only deal, about once a year, and they do expect to be paid back. Some communities also have some form of community action group that helps people with utilities. It is hard for others to give advice on this, because we don't know about your community. Look in the phone book and also call your area Department of Social Services. Are you on food stamps? If people qualify income wise for food stamps that would be no problem, but I have never heard of a program that helps with utilties on a permanent basis.
Call your local Department of Social Services to see if you are eligible for food coupons and, if you ask, they will direct you to food banks and other charities in your area. Also, call your local utility company(s) and see if they have discount programs you might be eligible for. I am eligible for a 30% discount because am disabled and seniors are also given the same discount.
Esther, there's a national Information and Referral hotline that has dispatch call centers in every county across the US. If you dial 211, they should know which way to direct you. A friend of mine was able to get help from our local homeless shelter, although that was toward back rent. Wherever you go, be prepared to show proof of income, and one or two might want to know how you spend your money. (The Veterans' Affairs is like that.) The rules are a little different for each organization. Any area that has a Catholic Charities office is usually good. They have food pantries you may be able to use monthly, and may be able to help you annually in relatively small amounts... usually $100-$200 towards a single bill.
That's about the method the Salvation Army uses, too. The Veterans' Affairs office can usually provide a lot more help. If you or someone in your household is a veteran and can prove it (with a DD214,) contact the office for your county. Their rules are strict - you not only need income proof for the month prior to the one for which you need help, they want to know where you spent it. They have been very generous with us a couple of years running, though.
If you fall within income guidelines - I believe it's either 150% or maybe 200% of the poverty line for your size household, there are a variety of more permanent utility programs you should be able to qualify for. My elderly hubby and I have been on the Percentage of Income Payment Plan (PIPP) program for both gas and electric for years, and it's helped immensely. The current program is very similar to the "level billing" program. Each month you pay the same amount. There are two major differences, though: first, the amount you pay is literally a percentage of your monthly income... 10%, to be exact. Also, with the new PIPP Plus program, for each month you pay your PIPP amount in full and on time, the utility credits your account extra toward any arrearage. They credit us more than we pay every month, which is a huge help! If you have no arrearage, any amount over your PIPP amount is forgiven. Since we had built up quite an arrearage and will be paying on that for a long time yet, I don't know what would happen if there were no arrearage.
We have a place called the Pine Belt Agency. Not sure if it is in other states, but you could try to look it up. They provide assistance with various things, and if they can't, they can usually find out who does.
I live in Gary, Indiana. I am currently on Social Security disability. I have a 20 year old son who works part-time for a department store. With our income combined, we are told that we make too much for Lake County Assistance. The City of Gary Sanitation Department has combined water treatment, trash pick-up, and sewage into one bill.
I am already struggling with my other utilities to make ends meet, and my son makes only enough to get back and fourth to work, and pay for his medication. I especially need the help now since property taxes will be due in a few months. If anyone can be of service, thank you in advance, and god bless.
By Tiffany S.
Our local utility company (in the UK) provides an online assessment tool so that you can work out whether you would be better off with a water meter. If your water isn't already metered, it may be worth checking whether your utility company will do the same.
Don't combine your incomes. You are not a couple. He lives in your house or you live in his house. Because he is an adult and not your spouse, you do not need to combine your incomes.
Contact social services to get the financial help you need.
Check with your county tax collector! In my state,if you are on disability, you are exempt from city and county property taxes. It's worth the call at least.
