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Outreach Programs

PG&E REACH PROGRAM

We are sorry to announce that funding for The Relief for Energy Assistance through Community Help (REACH) program, administered by the Dollar Energy Fund for PG&E, has expired for 2024.

In two months of providing this service full time, our Access and Opportunity team helped secure over $1 million in utility bill relief payments for over 800 residents. According to Dollar Energy Fund, we are their second highest performing partner in the nation!

If you are in need of utilities payment support, there are other income-eligible support programs available through PG&E you might qualify for:

California Alternate Rates for Energy Program (pge.com)
(866) 743-5832

Provides a monthly discount of 20% or more on gas and electricity.

Qualifications based on income guidelines or enrolling in certain public assistance programs:

PG&E bill must be in your name. If you are a sub-metered tenant, you must have the landlord’s energy bill in your name. You must live at the address to which the discount applies. Another person (besides your spouse) can’t claim you as a dependent on an income tax return. You must not share an energy meter with another home. You must account for all sources of qualifying household income. You must meet the program income guidelines. You must notify PG&E if your household no longer qualifies for the CARE discount. After you enroll, you may need to provide proof of qualifying household income. You may also be required to participate in the Energy Savings Assistance program. You may qualify for the CARE program if you or someone in your household takes part in any of the following public assistance programs:

  • Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP)
  • Women, Infants, and Children (WIC)
  • CalFresh/SNAP (Food Stamps)
  • CalWORKs (TANF) or Tribal TANF
  • Head Start Income Eligible (Tribal Only)
  • Supplemental Security Income (SSI)
  • Medi-Cal for Families (Healthy Families A & B)
  • National School Lunch Program (NSLP)
  • Bureau of Indian Affairs General Assistance
  • Medicaid/Medi-Cal (under age 65)
  • Medicaid/Medi-Cal (age 65 and over)

CARE Income guidelines:

1-2: $40,880 or less; 3: $51,640 or less; 4: $62,400 or less; 5: $73,160 or less; 6: $83,920 or less; 7: $94,860 or less; 8: $105,440 or less; 9: $116,200 or less; 10: $126,960 or less

Arrearage Management Plan (AMP) (pge.com)
(877) 660-6789

A debt forgiveness payment option for residential customers enrolled in CARE and FERA and have a total account balance of $500 or more, some of which have been past due for over 90 days.

Qualifications:
Owe at least $500 or more on their gas and electric bill or (for gas only) owe at least $250 or more on their gas bill. Are more than 90 days past due. Have been a PG&E customer for at least six consecutive months. Have made at least one on-time payment within the last 24 months.

Family Electric Rate Assistance Program (FERA) (pge.com)

FERA provides an 18% monthly discount on electric rates for households of three or more people.

Qualifications:
Meet the program income guidelines. PG&E bill in your name. You must live at the address where the discount would be applied. Not share an energy meter with another home.

KINSHIP CARE CA

Kinship families are part of all communities across California and kinship caregivers provide essential care and nurturing for their kinship children. Kinship families offer a tremendous opportunity for vulnerable children and youth to join a part of their extended family when their immediate family cannot care for them. United Ways of California’s new KinshipCareCA.org is a free, one-stop navigator to meet the immediate needs of kinship caregivers and foster parents, helping you locate nearby resources, access benefits, and/or receive general support via its online search feature and dedicated team of highly trained call specialists. The website is aimed to increase your capacity to provide safe, stable, and nurturing homes for the children in your care.

Kinship caregivers open their hearts and homes to a relative’s child. Approximately half of California’s 59,156 foster children are living with extended family members or other relatives. Studies have shown that kinship foster care can lead to better emotional health, fewer placements, and better outcomes. Offering these tools and kinds of support makes for stronger families all-around.

KinshipCareCA.org includes location-based resources for respite care, childcare, healthcare, education, and many other developmental and quality of life assets. Additionally, it provides access to resources supporting stability and the fulfillment of basic needs, such as utility, housing, and food assistance.

LISTOS CALIFORNIA

Listos California is an initiative from Governor Newsom’s office to ensure that California’s most vulnerable populations are as prepared as possible to deal with the possibility of disasters like fire, flood, earthquake, and (as we’ve learned recently) pandemics like COVID-19.

Within its first year, the campaign reached one in four Californians with life-saving messaging on COVID-19. In 2023, our team gave outreach to another 50,000 Californians.

Disaster Preparedness is now as easy as a text message. California residents can sign up to learn how to get prepared for natural disasters by texting LISTOSCA to 72345. Preparedness information and resources are even available in multiple indigenous languages by texting VOX to 211211.

To learn more, visit listoscalifornia.org.