About four years ago, Sarah Wright lost her job.
At the time, she had two children — one of whom was a newborn, the other was about 6. She decided to stay home to take care of them, but as a result, the family budget took a hit. Initially, Wright was reluctant to ask for help, but eventually, she turned to Hopelink.
The Redmond-based nonprofit organization serves homeless and low-income families, children, seniors and people with disabilities, and with their help, Wright has been able to get assistance with her energy bills through two different programs.
Those two programs are the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) through the U.S. Office of Community Services and the Puget Sound Energy Home Energy Lifeline Program (PSE HELP).
Wright — now a single mother with three kids aged 10, 4 and 17 months, living in Shoreline (where Hopelink has a service center) — received grants to help with her bills, lightening her financial burden.
TWO AVENUES OF ASSISTANCE
Kris Betker, spokesperson for Hopelink, said the nonprofit’s role is to connect their clients to the programs and offer additional assistance such as help with the applications process, figuring out whether someone is eligible and how much they could receive through the programs.
“We make it easier for them,” she said.
While both assistance programs offer financial aid for those who qualify, Betker said the two programs have different thresholds for who qualifies. She said for LIHEAP, that threshold is an income that is at or below 125 percent of the federal poverty level. For PSE HELP, the threshold is an income that is at or below 150 percent of the poverty level.
Betker added that LIHEAP is open to anyone and PSE HELP is only available to the company’s customers as there are areas within the utility’s service area that are served by a local public utility district.
Suzanne Sasville, a supervisor for PSE’s energy assistance programs, said they have about $16.9 million available for the utility’s various client-assistance programs.
“We are really trying to get the word out that this program exists,” she said.
She said the year-long PSE HELP program is administered by 11 local community-action agencies, including Hopelink, and assists in covering about 40-60 percent of a household’s annual energy usage and the grant money is applied directly to the customer’s bill. Sasville added that if there are extra funds available after a bill is taken care of, that money will roll over and be applied to the customer’s next bill.
Wright added that because the credits are applied directly to the bill, it helps keep things confidential.
APPLY ON A YEARLY BASIS
Sasville said PSE HELP runs on a yearly cycle from October to September, but customers are able to apply any time throughout the year. But she did add customers seeking assistance must reapply for the program each year. From October 2013 to September 2014, PSE HELP assisted 33,223 households.
In addition, if a customer is not eligible for PSE HELP but still has trouble making ends meet, Sasville said PSE will work with them to come up with a solution.
Betker said in 2014, Hopelink served 11,190 individuals — or 4,626 households — who needed assistance with their energy bills.
Betker added that the customers are open to all who meet the requirements. In other words, you don’t need to have your power turned off or nearly turned off to apply.
“You don’t need to have a disconnect notice before asking for help,” she said. “If you are in need…that’s what the program is for and that’s what Hopelink can help with.”
INVALUABLE ASSISTANCE
For Wright, the assistance she has received through Hopelink has been invaluable. She said she has been able to put the money she has saved on utilities toward things such as school clothes and supplies for her 10-year-old as well as just other household bills she has.
And while Wright has benefited greatly through Hopelink’s assistance, she admits to almost not receiving it because “it’s hard to ask for help.” But after connecting with Hopelink, she is glad she has and recommends anyone who may need help to ask for it.
“(Hopelink has) really been a godsend for me,” she said. “They’ve been a great resource.”
For more information about Hopelink’s energy assistance programs, visit www.hope-link.org/get_help/energy_assistance or call 1 (800) 348-7144 to make an in-person appointment. The line is open 24 hours a day, seven days a week and is available in English, Russian and Spanish.
