Wake County to use $5 million to help people pay overdue water and power bills
Wake County announced a $5 million fund Monday to help thousands of families who are late on their utility bills because of COVID-19.
The new program, WakeHELPS, will give county households up to $500 to help pay their overdue bills. The $5 million — from the federal Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security Act (CARES) — should be able to help nearly 10,000 families, officials said.
“With protections against utility shutoffs beginning to expire, Wake County is stepping up to help families who can’t make ends meet during this pandemic,” said Greg Ford, chair of the Wake County Board of Commissioners.
“No one should have to go without water at a time when handwashing is so critically important, and no one should have to go without air conditioning when the heat index is in the triple digits,” he said.
Applicants must “have suffered financially from COVID-19,” be Wake County residents and be able to submit their unpaid utility bills.
They also must meet federal income limits, for example, $39,540 for one person and $56,460 for a family of four.
N.C. Gov. Roy Cooper issued executive orders in late March that barred utility companies from charging late fees and cutting services to people who haven’t paid their power or water bills because of the coronavirus. Those provisions ended in July.
More than 1.45 million utility accounts in North Carolina have been unpaid during the pandemic, The News & Observer reported in mid-July.
More than 23,000 people are behind on their water bills in Raleigh, The N&O reported.
People can apply by visiting wakegov.com/WakeHELPS or calling 919-212-0476. Applications can also be picked up at two county buildings: Swinburne Building, 220 Swinburne St., Raleigh, and Eastern Regional Center, 1002 Dogwood Drive, Zebulon.
The money will go directly to the utility providers and can’t be spent on internet or telephone services.
This story was originally published August 3, 2020 at 11:09 AM.
