Gainesville residents line up for utility bill assistance
GAINESVILLE, Fla. (WCJB) - With Gainesville Regional Utilities prices skyrocketing, a non-profit is offering to help low-income families keep the lights on.
Many people lined up ahead of a Central Florida Community Action Agency (CFCAA) outreach event on Monday. The event is from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Library Partnership, 912 NE 16th Ave., Gainesville.
RELATED: ‘People are really struggling’: Residents expressed their frustration in a meeting with GRU
The event will allow families to sign up to receive help to pay current or past due heating and cooling bills, utility bills, and utility deposits.
To qualify for assistance, applicants must submit a photo ID for the applicant, social security cards for all household residents, ID or birth certificates to document the age of people older than 60 or younger than five years of age.
The organization will also need a food stamp letter showing the amount received for the current month, the two most recent electric bills, all household income for 30 days prior to the appointment, a valid signed lease, and a Section 8 or HUD Housing form if applicable.
LIHEAP Outreach by ryan turbeville on Scribd
To combat high summer utility prices, GRU has returned customer utility deposits as a credit back to their accounts. The credit only applies to customers who have a deposit and are in good standing with GRU.
RELATED: GRU to return customer deposits in response to high bills
The move follows significant increases in the bills for customers during the months of June and July. GRU officials attribute the bill increases to “dramatic increases in fuel prices and high usage related to extreme heat.”
GRU is also temporarily waiving late fees to help lessen the burden of higher utility bills through September.
Many residents expressed concern during a Gainesville Utility Advisory Board meeting last week about the way GRU handles its analytics. They claim GRU employees are not reading their meters after they received much higher than usual utility bills.
At the meeting, GRU staff predicted prices will not decline until December of 2022.
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