Citizens Energy Good Neighbor utility assistance

When a Citizens Energy customer is facing a crisis, the Good Neighbor program may be able to assist them. There is a small amount of money that is available for paying utility bills as the result of donations from the community. Contributions for this Salvation Army run service come from many places, including local businesses, individuals, management, and Trustees at the company, however more donations are always needed.

As many people know, the amount of utility bill assistance available from programs such as LIHEAP is limited. A low income family may use all of their benefits before the end of the year, or maybe they did not qualify for a grant to begin with. This is one reason that the donation service known as Citizens Energy Good Neighbor was created, and that is to supplement the amount of help given to income qualified households from LIHEAP and similar benefits.

Another instance in which the program can help is when a crisis hits. Sometimes an illness, or unexpected expense, may cause the Citizens Energy customer to fall behind on their utilities. Or maybe there is an issue such as a death in the family or illness. In these emergencies, as well as others, there may be assistance provided from the Good Neighbor donation program to help the client keep their power on.

Each scenario is reviewed on a case by case basis by the Salvation Army. Only after approved will any money be issued to the client. There may either be a check written directly to paying down the bill, or the customer will be given a credit on their account. In either case some of the donated funds will be used to help the qualified family with paying some of the energy bill that may be due.

What is needed to apply to Citizens Energy Good Neighbor

No matter the reason for needing energy bill assistance, there is limited funding available as it does run off of donations from the public. The applicant needs to prove their need for help, and be able to show they will be self-sufficient in the near future. Generally this means that the funding from Citizens Energy Good Neighbor is focused on solving a short term crisis, or need for assistance. Individuals that require more significant, long term support will be directed to another program that may better fit their needs.

 

 

 

 

When calling the customer support team (or even a local non-profit) please be sure to have some or all of the following. Applicants should bring proof of income from all sources; identification of all household members; proof of need (such as doctor note or death certificate, etc); details on any LIHEAP or government benefits; and much more. The application process is extensive, and more information may be requested.

Donations are used to help a qualified customer keep their heat or electricity on. So this will require proof of those items being required from the client. If there is not enough supporting documentation, or if the family does not qualify for assistance from Citizens Energy Good Neighbor, then they still can be directed to other options. For more information, dial 505-872-1171.