U.S. Department of the Treasury

Grantees in many areas have found that engaging local utility companies and partnering with other utility assistance programs can make the delivery of assistance to households in need more efficient and effective.

• Working with Energy Providers to Increase Efficiency and Reach
• Coordination with Other Utility Assistance Programs

Working with Energy Providers to Increase Efficiency and Reach

Strategic coordination and data sharing with utility companies can help promote utility assistance options to vulnerable households, increase program efficiency, and connect households to a range of housing support services. Promising practices include:

• Encouraging energy providers to provide educational materials on the ERA program and other forms of available housing and utility assistance through their regular mailings to potential applicants.
• Building relationships with energy providers and establishing information sharing protocols that allow transparency into the application process. This may include bulk data sharing and payment strategies, as discussed in FAQ 38.
• Encouraging energy providers to automate processes to proactively identify households in need. For instance, vendors energy providers can coordinate with administering agencies to identify households that may be eligible (i.e. related to COVID-19 financial impact and/or housing instability) and automate the process of providing potential client data to the relevant intake agency where the eligibility/benefit determination is made.
• Entering into vendor agreements that lead to reconnection, pausing service shut-offs, and offering additional consumer protections for households upon application for utility assistance. For providers of delivered fuels, vendor agreements should include automatic deliveries to households receiving benefits as quickly as possible.
• Collaborating with grantees of other energy assistance programs to build out parallel operations that can help make it easier for utility companies to cooperate with the programs while increasing the incentives for the utility companies to engage in consumer-friendly practices.
• Expediting payments through partnerships with non-profits to prevent the loss of utility services when the rapid delivery of a payment could reasonably be necessary to prevent the loss of utility services, FAQ 42 provides guidance designed to give grantees flexibility to partner with nonprofit organizations for the purpose of making immediate payments while a household’s application is still being processed.

Examples

Richland County, SC

Richland County, SC has developed a strong relationship with the area’s utility company. The county proactively reached out to the company to discuss ERA program benefits and found receptive partners. Upon notification that a tenant has applied for ERA funds, the utility company gives the applicant a grace period, pausing disconnection of utility services and allowing ERA program administrators to process the payment.

City of Memphis and Shelby County, TN

The City of Memphis and Shelby County’s joint program developed a partnership with the local utility company to more quickly identify renters who have started ERA applications. This partnership builds off a pre-existing relationship between the utility company and other local government programs which further evolved as the ERA infrastructure was being developed. Originally program administrators would send notifications to the utility company in batches, but the process has since evolved into more direct data sharing. Once identified as an ERA recipient, the applicant receives a grace period on utility payments and qualifies to have utilities turned back on when applicable. These processes expedite the effectiveness of the application even before the program administers funds to address utility arrears.

State of Connecticut

The State of Connecticut has engaged in a data-driven collaborative effort with all regulated electric utility companies within the state to proactively offer utility assistance to eligible households who have not yet applied for rental assistance through the regular application channels. The local utility partners share data on renters living within a Qualified Census Tract (providing a fact-specific proxy for income eligibility) who have an eligible utility arrearage. Following identification as a likely eligible household, those households receive a targeted robocall featuring a recording from the state’s governor offering to pay the utility arrearage. The call directs the applicant to a series of recorded self-attestations that act as an electronic signature and record of program eligibility—allowing the state’s ERA program low touch method to efficiently scale the collection of eligibility documentation and quickly issue payments to the utility provider. Applicants also learn about available resources to apply for further rental assistance. Administrators of this program note that public notification and promotion of the robocall script, as well as coordination with all of the utility providers within the state, has helped to support consistent and transparent messaging—leading to a more equitable role out of the program across the state.

Coordination with Other Utility Assistance Programs

Coordination with other energy assistance programs can support increased overall household awareness of available utility assistance, better addressing the utility needs of local households, and intake and eligibility determination systems that are as transparent, accessible, efficient, and well-coordinated as possible at state and community levels.

Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP)

LIHEAP is a longstanding source of federal support for households that need assistance with winter heating costs administered by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). Through a nationwide network of governmental and locally-based nonprofit service providers, LIHEAP provides federally funded assistance in managing costs associated with home energy bills, energy crises, weatherization and energy-related minor home repairs.

On November 18, 2021, HHS shared a “Dear Colleague” letter to LIHEAP grantees underscoring the benefits of coordination between LIHEAP and ERA programs. HHS coordinated with Treasury staff in preparing a set of promising practices that can help provide a baseline for program administrators to begin that work.

Some promising practices may include:

1. Regular Communications Between ERA and LIHEAP Program Leadership – In many cases, these closely-related areas of assistance are available within the same jurisdictions, but may be administered through different departments or governmental entities. Establishing regular and thoughtful program leadership communication can ensure awareness of the policies, processes, and systems of their respective program efforts.
2. Regular Stakeholder Communications – Establish regular stakeholder communication collaboratively convened by both the LIHEAP and ERA programs with energy providers, local administering agencies, and regulatory authorities, especially related to sharing best practices in program coordination, operational improvements, and outreach to potential eligible households.
3. Review of Program Offerings – In preparation for potential increases in winter utility needs, collaborative review of locally-imposed eligibility requirements, the types of assistance offered, and assistance benefit levels can help reveal opportunities to better serve the community. For instance, program administrators may wish to adjust locally imposed caps on benefits, consider offering prospective utility assistance, or explore expanding the range of utilities covered (such as delivered fuels, etc.). This may also include review of the various application processes and adjusting how financial burdens related to increased utility costs might help in documenting COVID-19 financial impact and/or housing instability.
4. Developing referral policies between programs – Referral policies and procedures can help match applicants to the most appropriate program to meet their specific situation. For instance, ERA programs may wish to incorporate a policy to refer applicants to LIHEAP when the household is facing a home energy crisis where there is a need to expedite intervention to restore or prevent the loss of services, as the federal LIHEAP statute requires that eligible households applying for crisis assistance receive an intervention to resolve the crisis within 48 hours or within 18 hours for life-threatening situations.
5. Coordinated Outreach – Simple and coordinated messaging about utility and related housing stability resources through trusted channels can smooth (e.g. creating shared educational resources to message utility and related housing stability benefits, coordinated public information campaigns, etc.).
6. Categorical Eligibility – Categorical eligibility can support faster income determination, reduced paperwork burden, and expedited the overall eligibility process. For example, using eligibility for LIHEAP as categorical eligibility for ERA may simplify intake for households seeking assistance from both programs.
7. Data Sharing, Linked Application, or Referral Systems – A single “front door” or single intake process across benefit programs can simplify application processes for households. When feasible, establishing protocols for data sharing, linked applications, and/or referral systems with a warm handoff process can help ensure the best match between the household and the assistance program.

ERA Grantee Coordination with Homeowners Assistance Fund

ERA grantees may also consider coordinating with HAF administrators. The purpose of the Homeowner Assistance Fund (HAF) is to prevent mortgage delinquencies and defaults, foreclosures, loss of utilities or home energy services, and displacement of homeowners experiencing financial hardship after January 21, 2020. Funds from the HAF may be used for assistance with mortgage payments, homeowner’s insurance, utility payments, and other specified purposes. The law prioritizes funds for homeowners who have experienced the greatest hardships, leveraging local and national income indicators to maximize the impact. Incorporating coordination with HAF program administrators would further serve to improve messaging, operational implementation, and overall program effectiveness of providing a range of utility assistance programs locally.