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Fri, Oct 10, 2008
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How to give, get help with power bills
Tucson Electric Power Company offers a couple of ways for low-income residents to get help with their bills, said spokesman Joe Salkowski.
The Help with Emergency Energy Relief Operation, or HEERO, allows TEP customers to round up their bill to the next dollar or donate a fixed amount each month to assist people struggling with energy costs, Salkowski said.
Money donated through HEERO goes to the Salvation Army, which distributes it to qualified applicants. Customers of UniSource Energy Corporation, TEP's parent company, can contribute to a similar Warm Spirit program.
In 2007, HEERO participants donated $118,504, Salkowski said.
Customers can sign up for HEERO by calling 623-7711, going to TEP.com (click on "Assistance Programs") or through their monthly bill.
TEP also has a Lifeline program in which customers can apply for a $8 monthly discount on their bills. To be eligible, families cannot have a gross income greater than 150 percent of the federal poverty level.
For a family of four, that means a monthly income that doesn't exceed $2,651, Salkowski said.
Shareholders of UniSource Energy have set up a fund to help low-income families. Only interest from the fund is used to offer aid, which means the principal doesn't decrease.
In 2007, the fund generated $221,766, which was used to assist 925 households, Salkowski said.

Opinion

Arizona deserves federal funds for energy bills

Our view: Congressional delegation can push feds to direct emergency funds to low-income families that need help
Tucson, Arizona | Published: 07.25.2008
The federal government must realize that although Arizona is not a cold-weather state, low-income households deserve the same kind of help with energy bills in the summer that residents of Northern and Eastern states receive in the winter.
Apparently the fact that residents of Arizona and other Sun Belt states pay significantly to cool their homes in the summer has been lost on Washington. The Department of Health and Human Services' formula for distributing funds from the Low Income Energy Assistance Program, or LIHEAP, has for years favored cold-weather states.
"Arizona receives the least amount of any state in the country on a per-household basis," said Cynthia Zwick, executive director of the Arizona Community Action Association, a Phoenix-based group that helps fight poverty.
As if getting disproportionately low funding wasn't enough, Zwick said an administrative error by Health and Human Services this year may cost the state about $925,000 in LIHEAP funding. That means about 4,500 low-income Arizona households might not have access to money for electric bills or cooling-system repairs.
We say might because there is still a possibility Arizonans could receive LIHEAP funds.
The federal program has yet to distribute about $120 million in emergency funds before the fiscal year ends Sept. 30. Taking into account Arizona's hotter-than-normal summer, we urge members of Arizona's congressional delegation to put pressure on the Department of Health and Human Services to direct some of those emergency funds to Arizona.
"It's so hot out here and there are so many families struggling, we're asking to get a fair share of those emergency funds," Zwick said.
Earlier this week, Arizona Sen. Jon Kyl sent a letter to Health and Human Services Secretary Michael Leavitt asking him "to release emergency LIHEAP funds to help Arizonans cope with extraordinarily high summer temperatures in parts of the state."
Kyl noted that as of Monday the Phoenix area had experienced 15 days in the past month of temperatures at or above 110 degrees. He also wrote that the average temperature from June 15 to June 24 was 7.2 degrees higher than for the same period in previous years.
The Arizona Community Action Association also asked Sen. John McCain for help in securing more LIHEAP funding, but he and his office have not responded, Zwick said.
LIHEAP funds can be a lifeline for struggling families. Zwick said the program helps about 20,000 households statewide each year.
Closer to home, a little more than 4,400 households in Tucson and Pima County benefit from LIHEAP funds, said Norma Gallegos, program manager for the Pima County Community Action Agency.
Under the program, families unable to pay their bills or those who need repair work can apply for assistance. A family can only receive help once every 12 months.
Zwick and others who help distribute LIHEAP funds say they've seen an increase in aid applications due to the faltering economy.
Sandra Mendez of the Arizona Department of Economic Security said agencies are in the middle of a "perfect storm." More families are requesting help, the state has less money to give out and utility bills have gone up because of rate increases, she said.
Zwick said there is a movement in Congress to give warm-weather states more funding so that they can help low-income families cope with higher energy costs. We support that effort.
There is also a need to take action now. We urge Arizona's members of Congress to pressure Health and Human Services to provide the state with emergency LIHEAP funding in the current fiscal year before those funds are gone. We encourage readers to call their representatives to urge action.
Congressional contacts
Rep. Raúl Grijalva D.C: 1-202-225-2435; Tucson: 622-6788 Web site: http://grijalva.house.gov/
Rep. Gabrielle Giffords D.C.: 1-202-225-2542; Tucson: 881-3588 Web site: http://giffords.house.gov/
Sen. John McCain D.C.: 1-202-224-2235; Tucson: 670-6334 Web site: http://mccain.senate.gov
Sen. Jon Kyl D.C.: 1-202-224-4521; Tucson: 575-8633 Web site: http://kyl.senate.gov
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