City of Fountain Lighten the Load utility assistance

Every year there is some form of utility bill assistance paid out to income qualified customers from City of Fountain Lighten the Load. The amount available, as well as number of people assisted, will vary based on the donation levels to the program. But the goal is to use some of the funds from Lighten the Load, and combine it with other sources of assistance, to help families keep their heat and lights on.

There are a few ways to donate to the program. There are also a few ways to apply to assistance from it. But whether someone is to contribute or to apply for energy bill help, all customers of City of Fountain need to keep in mind that this is a small scale program. It is meant supplement all of the other, larger government run programs that are out there, such as LIHEAP, weatherization, as well as others such as emergency solution grants.

When applying to City of Fountain Lighten the Load, the family (or individual) should be prepared with the following. They will need proof of income, proof of residency, and details on the hardship. They also need to have to agree to plans around case management from the Salvation Army as well as personal financial responsibility.

As in fact any money paid out to the customer for paying their utility bills is very limited as well as targeted. Since this program uses donations, the goal is to ensure that each hard earned dollar that someone contributes to it is used wisely. This will help encourage further contributions from the community; no person or company wants to donate if they feel their contribution will be spent unwisely.

As noted, City of Fountain Lighten the Load is but one small solution. There is no way, nor was it ever intended, for the program to pay an entire past due utility bill. Nor was it intended to for the program to keep the heat on indefinitely for an extended period of time. In fact, since it relies on donations, it is impossible for this to even be possible. Therefore the program is combined with other resources, including (but not limited too) payment plans, LIHEAP grants, and others.

 

 

 

 

All applicants to City of Fountain Lighten the Load should also inquire as to what other energy bill assistance programs they may qualify for, whether they are company or government run. The customer service representative at the company, or the staff from a local social service agency, are effective at offering the customer other options.

So while they will try to sign them up for a grant from Lighten the Load, there are many cases in which the person will not be qualified. Or there are other instances in which the donations for that month or year are all used up, so no more customers can get utility bill help. In these cases a referral will often be given. Or maybe there are some contributions still remaining in City of Fountain Lighten the Load the funds are combined with other payment plans, etc. The point being is to inquire.

There are different components to the service. Whether a person (or even business) is looking to donate, or if a customer is interesting in applying for assistance, they can try to call Salvation Army at (719) 382-1182 or REACH Pikes Peak at (719)382-8515 or  for details. All options will be explored.