Columbia Gas Maryland Dollar Energy Fund Hardship Program

In an effort to help struggling, income qualified customers pay their utility bills, Columbia Gas (along with local non-profits) created the Dollar Energy Fund Hardship Program. It is a way to help your neighbors in need by donating to the service. In addition, the programs provides one time, short term utility bill assistance to a small number of customers each year. Therefore it is a donation program as well as a tool that provides energy bill help.

For those who donate to the program, you can know that the money stays local. It is just for Columbia Gas in Maryland service territory customers. The contribution will only go to the most deserving, and the Dollar Energy Fund Hardship utility bill assistance program is not some form of charity care.

Most of the funds go to the most vulnerable that live on a fixed income. This means assistance is generally for retirees who are living check to check; the disabled who may be on SSI; the unexpectedly unemployed living on unemployment; the sick living on FMLA or short term disability; etc. It may be just enough money to help them keep their electricity or heat on for weeks, so they do not freeze or overheat. It provides the vulnerable time to do something else for utility bill help.

Applying for assistance from Columbia Gas Maryland Dollar Energy Fund Hardship Program

Columbia Gas Maryland runs this short term assistance program in partnership with many other organizations in the region. Working together, this allows the various groups the ability to help as many people as possible. They both combine the funds from Dollar Energy Fund Hardship Program as well as many other resources, ranging from free energy conservation services to payment plans, charitable aid, and more.

 

 

 

 

In addition, by various groups, including community action agencies, working together to provide struggling families with energy bill assistance, this also allows all these organizations to publicize the program. Both the financial aid as well as donation parts of this service are publicized in the local community. This means that even more donated money may be collected from the public. Or there could be events to help raise cash, including bake sales, United Way sponsored events, and much more.

Not only does having various organizations help publicize Columbia Gas Maryland Dollar Energy Fund Hardship Program (for donations) or allow customers to receive various forms of assistance, but it also helps with the application process. As this means that a low income customer of Columbia Gas Maryland can apply for financial help in different places and also use different agencies.

In addition, there are more ways to get questions answered on the program. As the customer support team at Columbia Gas Maryland can help with applications or explain how the utility assistance program works. Or the customer, working with a charity, can also learn about the Columbia Gas Maryland Dollar Energy Fund Hardship Program as well as other resources, ranging from pantries to job programs and more. To apply for a grant or other energy bill help, call a local community action agency. They are part of the Dollar Energy programs in Maryland.