With energy costs expected to rise significantly this summer, Step Forward, Cuyahoga County’s anti-poverty agency, is reminding residents of the programs available to help pay for and offset the cost of utility bills.
Step Forward’s Home Energy Assistance Program (HEAP) offers several assistance programs for eligible residents.
Summer Cooling Program
Beginning July 1 and continuing through Sept. 30, Step Forward will help income-eligible Cuyahoga County residents with payment of an electric bill, or the purchase of a fan or air conditioning unit to ease the burden of summer heat.
The program provides a benefit once per cooling season to Cuyahoga County residents who are at or below 175% of Federal Poverty Guidelines, have a household member aged 60 or older, and/or have a household member with a documented medical condition requiring air conditioning.
Click here to find out if your household is at or below 175% of the Federal Poverty Guidelines.
Residents seeking to participate in the Summer Cooling Program must schedule an appointment and have the necessary documentation in hand or sent to Step Forward.
See a list of necessary paperwork here.
Customers can send the documentation to Heapdocuments@stepforwardtoday.org
To schedule an appointment to enroll in the Summer Cooling Program, call 216-350-8008 or click here.
Percentage of Income Payment Plan (PIPP+)
This program helps eligible households maintain gas and electric services during the year by paying the utility company a percentage of their household income, making energy bills affordable year-round, and if payments are made on time and in full, overages and the rest of the month’s bills are forgiven.
Like the cooling program, households must be at or below 175% of the Federal Poverty Guidelines. Residents must also be customers of the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio.
Residents can apply or reverify for the program online here. For some customers, a face-to-face meeting is not required – they can complete the application and send it with their required documentation to 2203 Superior Ave, Cleveland, OH 44114.
Here is the list from Step Foward of required documents:
- Your completed Utility Assistance Programs Application
- Proof of income for each household member
- Copies of your most recent utility bills
- A list of Social Security Numbers and birth dates for each person who lives with you
- Proof of U.S. citizenship/legal residency for all household members
- We can accept any one of these per person living with you:
- Social Security card
- Birth certificate
- U.S. passport
- Naturalization paper
- Permanent VISA
- INS ID card.
- Disability verification (if applicable)
Fuel Fund
The Fuel Fund provides a maximum yearly benefit of up to $500 to households for home utility bill assistance. To be eligible, a household cannot have participated in the program within the past year and must have made a payment on their electric bill at least once in the last three months.
To apply for the Fuel Fund, residents must schedule an appointment by calling 216-350-8008 or online at http://stepforward.itfrontdesk.com/ Appointments are available Monday through Friday from 8:00 a.m. until 4:00 p.m.
For more information on all these programs and for links to apply and set up appointments, visit: https://www.stepforwardtoday.org/energy-assistance-programs
One-time amnesty program
The Cleveland City Council is considering an initiative to use $2 million in American Rescue Plan Act money to find a one-time utility amnesty program to reduce or eliminate the debt held by 2,600 customers in Cleveland.
RELATED: Council committee approves energy amnesty program; summer bills expected to soar
Shop around
Experts are urging energy customers to shop for an energy supplier as some rates are expected to double beginning June 1.
This price hike is only slated to impact customers enrolled in the default rate, or standard service offer at The Illuminating Company, Ohio Edison, and Toledo Edison.
The increase means seeing your energy usage rate go from about 5.88 cents/kwh to 12.39 cents/kwh. If you use 1,000 kilowatts in a month, that amounts to almost $60 more than what you’re used to seeing on your bill.
Those who selected their own electric supplier or those enrolled in aggregate government programs should not be impacted.
Find out how to explore for other electric and natural gas suppliers here.
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