Courtesy/LAC
Courtesy/LAC
By KIRSTEN LASKEY
Los Alamos Daily Post
kirsten@ladailypost.com
The current state of the Department of Public Utilities’ (DPU) Utilities Assistance Program is grim. The program has a balance of $15,695. Considering that the program awarded $25,000 in assistance in the last fiscal year, its current balance wouldn’t be able to provide the same amount of assistance this year, and that is assuming the amount of need doesn’t change. The picture gets even more grim because due to the approved rate increases, it is almost assured more people are going to need help this winter and there isn’t enough money in the program to do that. At least $1,000 more per month is needed to help families in need of utilities assistance in the community.
Will this dire prediction come to fruition? That depends on all of us. The public contributing to the Utilities Assistance Program could enable the department to help all those in need.
Deputy Utility Manager of Finance & Administration Karen Kendall explained because of the state’s anti-donation clause, DPU and the County cannot put money into the program. It is up to residents to keep the program afloat.
“This is a way you can help people in town who may be struggling,” Kendall said.
She emphasized that “every little bit helps.” It can be $10 or $5 and donations can be made monthly by going to the County’s website and signing up to have a monthly amount added to customers’ bills.
Kendall added that 100 percent of the donations go to the Utility Assistance Program.
Donations made now would be greatly appreciated especially as we go into the winter period, Kendall said.
The number of people who are reaching out for help is growing. Kendall said in 2019, the Utility Assistance Program offered $7,000 in assistance. In Fiscal Year 2023, the amount rose to $25,000.
What is troubling is that donations to the program are dropping. According to data from DPU, in Fiscal Year 2021, the donations totaled $23,360. In Fiscal Year 2022, it fell to $13,968 and then lowered again in Fiscal Year 2023 to $13,438.
It is not just utilities that people are struggling to afford, it is everything, Social Services Manager Jessica Strong said.
“We are definitely seeing an increase in need,” she said, adding that inflation is playing a role in that as well as the end of federal assistance that was in place during the pandemic.
“That extra little bit of money for food made a difference,” Strong said.
To qualify, a household cannot make more than $58,058 or 50 percent of the median household income in the County, Kendall said. If a household does qualify, the program will cover up to 30 percent of the customer’s bill during the winter months – October through March – for up to $138 a month. The maximum amount for one-time assistance is $350. The payments are distributed as credits on the utility bills.
The Utility Assistance Program offers several different options. Kendall said the first option is utility assistance from October through March to customers who are younger than 65 and qualify as low income. The second option is year-round assistance for those who are older than 65 or qualified through the Social Security Administration for the Supplemental Security Income (SSI). The third option is a one-time payment for people who have demonstrated need due to an unforeseen financial hardship.
In Fiscal Year 2023, 20 households were given year-round assistance, 23 households received assistance during the winter months and 29 households got one-time assistance, Kendall said.
Kendall added the County works to help those who are in need as much as it can, explaining DPU will refer its customer to the other programs in the state that assist with utilities such as the Los Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP).
“Customer Care in Utilities talk to many households in Los Alamos County,” she said. “We get to know our customers personally. It’s our goal to connect them to programs out there locally or at the state level.”
For instance, Kendall said DPU will refer people to the County’s Social Services Division for assistance in other areas such as food or rent. Strong said her office partners with various organizations to help get people what they need.
“We are happy to help,” Strong said, adding that Social Services is a good first step. She explained Social Services works with LA Cares and the Santa Fe Food Depot to offer emergency food boxes and it collaborates with Self Help to address things like rent and utility assistance.
Collaboration is important, Strong said, because “when someone is in crisis … you may not know where to start.”
The very first step to take, Kendall said, is to call the Customer Care Center at 505.662.8333 or reach out to Social Services directly.
Strong emphasized that Social Services and DPU work together to address people’s needs.
“We work in tandem together,” she said. “We work to make it as easy as possible for people who are in hardship.”
“We are trying to help as many people as we can,” Kendall added.