Sometimes life forces us to make hard financial choices — choosing whether to skip the utility bill shouldn’t have to be one of them.
The Clark Public Utilities Community Care Department, better known as ComCare, is staffed by a team of professionals specially trained to help customers get assistance with their utility bills — regardless of how they heat their homes.
Clark Public Utilities electric rates haven’t changed since 2011, but the cost of many of life’s other necessities have gone up since then.
“Many households struggle to cover their bills even when everything is going OK, then when something goes wrong making ends meet feels impossible and overwhelming,” said Clark Public Utilities Community Care Manager Chiharu Russell. “ComCare is here to help those customers through a tough time and get them the energy assistance they need.”
An important date for energy assistance is coming up soon. On Monday, Sept. 18, ComCare representatives will begin scheduling appointments for the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program, or LIHEAP.
Unlike many other assistance programs, LIHEAP doesn’t follow the calendar year. It runs from October to mid-summer. 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.
LIHEAP can also help with emergency furnace repair or replacement, weatherization program referrals, and energy conservation guidance and resources.
Whether it’s during an appointment for LIHEAP or other assistance, ComCare representatives will walk through a customer’s circumstances to identify which in-house or public assistance programs they may qualify for.
“LIHEAP is a great example of just one of the public assistance programs we administer,” Russell said. “Because everyone in the county is a customer of ours, other agencies recognized our department as an opportunity to reach the largest pool of potential candidates possible.”
While LIHEAP season is soon to begin, it is only one of several energy assistance programs Clark Public Utilities offers.
The Guarantee of Service Plan helps customers eliminate energy bill debt while making payments more manageable. This 12-month program reduces electricity payments to a percentage of monthly household income and forgives any remaining balances at the end.
The Senior Rate Credit program is available to households with at least one person 62 or older who meets the income eligibility limits. The program offers an account credit based on the previous January through April electric bills. Senior Rate Credits are applied to eligible accounts annually and new applications can be processed at any time during the year.
Operation Warm Heart is an income-based program that helps households pay energy bills during a financial crisis. This donation-supported program serves people who are in a dire situation but may not qualify for other financial assistance.
Call customer service at 360-992-3000 to learn more. Representatives are available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Information is also available at clarkpublicutilities.com/assistance.
Interpretation services are available for a broad spectrum of languages.
“If you or someone you know needs help, get in touch,” Russell said. “We’re here to help with energy expenses.”
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.
