The City of South Bend announced a new program this week to help low-income customers with their utility bills. Qualifying residents could see a $10-19 reduction in their monthly bills.
The Customer Assistance Program is meant to help low-income South Bend residents pay for services like drinking water and wastewater through credits on their utility bills.
Those credits are funded by other ratepayers – in Oct. 2019, the Common Council approved a $1.75 increase to monthly sewer charges in order to fund the program.
The city is partnering with local nonprofit REAL Services to enroll residents using the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program. Residents who qualify for that program will automatically receive utility assistance.
Customers who are on South Bend sewer service and have a City of South Bend utility account can apply through REAL Services. The deadline to apply for utility assistance is May 15.
The city will also hold two brainstorming sessions next week on how to further help those struggling to pay their utility bills during the pandemic. Those are scheduled for Feb. 9 from 10:30 a.m. to noon, and Feb. 11 from 3 to 4:30 p.m.
Contact Gemma atgdicarlo@wvpe.orgor follow her on Twitter at@gemma_dicarlo.
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