SWEPCO Neighbor To Neighbor Louisiana utility bill donation program

One of the main assistance programs for SWEPCO customers in Louisiana is the Neighbor To Neighbor Program. This uses donations from people in the community, local businesses, and others to provide emergency relief to customers that are facing a crisis.

Southwestern Electric Power Company has been involved in offering this service to customers for over 30 years. It helps income qualified customers with paying either electric bills and Neighbor To Neighbor can assist with preventing a disconnection.

Hundreds of customers in Louisiana, including the northwestern part of the state, may benefit from this each year. If you want to give back to the community, and help the less fortunate, please donate. Every dollar contributed can make a difference. Not only that, but 100% of all funds raised go to help the less fortunate with paying their bills and to prevent a disconnection of their power.

Neighbor to Neighbor is run in partnership with community action agencies and other non-profits in Louisiana as well. Not only that, but SWEPCO will often contribute their own funds and donate to the program, with a particular focus on keeping electricity on during the hot summer months. As most people in Louisiana know, summer temperatures can be life threatening if households don’t have adequate cooling or lose their power. Some lower income families are faced with even more difficulties of financial hardship when unexpected emergencies arise. When this occurs, the Neighbor To Neighbor program is there to help in those cases.

It is fairly easy to donate. Anyone can mail in a one time donation or contribution. Or another way is to contribute on a monthly, recurring basis by adding some money to your bills. Or talk to a nearby social service agency. Note that all contributions to Neighbor To Neighbor are tax deductible. People who donate will also receive, for their tax purposes, an annual report of contributions made during the year so they can use that when filing.

To apply for financial help from Neighbor to Neighbor, dial 1-888-216-3523. There is an application process in place. Generally, the applicants income will need to be between 0 percent and 150 percent of the Federal Poverty Income Guidelines. Also, an applicant must have an active termination notice or have disconnected utility service. This will only be available to those families that have paid their utilities in the past, and that made an effort at this. So financial support is not for those that have not made an effort. The United Way and other agencies also play an active role in helping with the application process.

 

 

 

 

If you are able to enroll, then the Neighbor to Neighbor Program will offer families a grant that will be directly applied to your Louisiana SWEPCO account. It can also be combined with resources such as LIHEAP - Home Energy Assistance Program.