City Utility Assistance

Last Tuesday, the City Council approved a decision to re-open the City of Memphis Utility Assistance Program to assist customers who meet the federal poverty guidelines with utility bill payments. (Please note that this assistance program is different than the one announced by Shelby County Mayor A.C. Wharton this afternoon.)

The process will be as follows:

The Department of Human Services (DHS) will use its customer database of citizens whose combined household income does not exceed 125% of the established federal income level and meet the following criteria:

Requirement A
1. Must be 60 years of age or older and/or certified medically as being totally (100%) disabled
2. Head of household
3. Active utility account in applicant's name or spouse's name

OR

Requirement B
1. Head of household or spouse on active military deployment
2. Active utility account in applicant's name or spouse's name
3. Must have received cut-off notice


Other details:
--DHS will send MLGW a daily electronic listing of customers meeting these guidelines.

--MLGW's Information Systems department will compare the listings to MLGW records to ensure no Community Services Agency (CSA) funds were received by the customer within the last six months and that the customer's address is within the City of Memphis.

--The approval process for this program will be available beginning December 1, 2008.

--MLGW is not screening or selecting recipients. We will refer people to DHS, who will use its customer database to choose recipients who meet the program's qualifications, especially the federal poverty limits.

--The program has a maximum payment of $700.

--MLGW should receive its first list of DHS recipients on Dec. 1. Their accounts will be credited and the city will be invoiced accordingly.

--The list of DHS recipients will also be audited to see if they can also qualify for matching fund assistance from CSA. CSA has $930,475 in matching funds.

--The matching fund assistance is available to those on the DHS list who have a child under age 5 in the household, or if they are a person 60 years or older in the household, or if they are a person who has a disability.

--CSA - NOT MLGW OR DHS - will contact recipients and see if they want to apply for the matching funds.