Riverside County Residents Offered Help Paying Utility Bills

RIVERSIDE COUNTY, CA — If you're a Riverside County resident who needs help paying your utility bills, resources were announced Wednesday.

The Community Action Partnership of Riverside County — a county agency — has funding available through its Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program.

The program can assist low-income households that are behind on heating and cooling bills. Additionally, through expanded federal funding from the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act, the program can now also help with water, sewer, trash, telephone and internet bills, according to a news release from the office of Riverside County Supervisor V. Manuel Perez.

The Community Action Partnership of Riverside County is offering one-on-one phone appointments to help residents complete the application process. Residents can find the application online (see below) or by calling CAP Riverside at 951-955-4900 to request an application be mailed to them.

CAP Riverside is currently accepting applications for assistance by mail, email, or in one of four drop boxes (Blythe, Desert Hot Springs, Hemet and Riverside).

“Riverside County’s utility assistance program is a resource that can help residents in financial need,” Perez said. “Utility assistance can relieve some hardship and pay down these bills. The payments are made directly to utilities, so they receive support that can help them continue being flexible with customers during this emergency and provide services that are essential for staying home. Programs like these have a ripple effect that helps the community as a whole through these difficult times.”

For electric and gas utility assistance, customers should fill out the application at https://www.capriverside.org/program/utilityassistanceprogram titled “LIHEAP Application,” which is available in English and Spanish. City of Riverside residents can also fill out the “SHARE” application on the same webpage, which will help with additional utility assistance.

For assistance with water, sewer, trash, telephone and Internet bills, Riverside County residents should fill out the CAP CARES Program application, which is located at these links:

• English application here.
• Spanish application here.

“We are encouraging everyone to apply for assistance now,” said Carrie Harmon, Interim Executive Director of CAP Riverside. "Even though the utility companies are not disconnecting customers, the unpaid balance continues to grow. CAP Riverside is positioned to help people help themselves out of this economic hardship, but the customer must make the first move. And that first move is dial 951-955-4900 and speak to our advisors.”

CAP Riverside has over $3 million available to assist residents. Payments are made directly to the utility provider on behalf of the customer, according to Perez's office.