Trenton, NJ — The New Jersey Board of Public Utilities (NJBPU), the New Jersey Department of Community Affairs (NJDCA) and the City of Trenton hosted a joint community outreach event on April 19th to offer residents utility assistance programs and resources.
“New Jersey offers a wide range of assistance programs to help residents pay their water, electric and gas utility bills and we want those in need to take full advantage of these resources,” said NJBPU President Joseph L. Fiordaliso. “We are glad to partner with the City of Trenton and NJDCA to heighten awareness of these programs which are available to residents across New Jersey.”
The Trenton Utility Assistance Outreach event took place at Trenton City Hall in the Atrium, and was free to the public with hundreds of residents participating and attending.
“The Department of Community Affairs (DCA) has a host of programs to help residents pay their electric, water, and sewer bills,” said Lt. Governor Sheila Y. Oliver who serves as the commissioner of DCA. “If you have past due bills, don’t wait to apply. Let DCA help you get back on track.”
“We’re extraordinarily thankful to NJBPU President Joe Fiordaliso and Lt. Governor Sheila Oliver for helping to connect Trentonians with vital utility assistance programs,” said Trenton Mayor W. Reed Gusciora. “The Capital City is thankful to the State of New Jersey for its proactive and community-centered outreach, which will certainly help residents avoid utility disconnections and save money on their energy bills.”
Over the last two years, New Jersey has taken substantial steps to help those who have been unable to pay their bills during the pandemic. These steps include a significant expansion of State assistance programs to provide help to more families.
For example, NJBPU made temporary but significant expansions to the State’s Universal Service Fund (USF) Program, including raising the income limits from 185 percent of the Federal Poverty Level (FPL) to 400 percent FPL. For a family of four, the income limit for USF is now $111,000 annually. Other changes include raising monthly USF benefit caps to $180 per month for gas and electric bills and enrolling any USF customer with an overdue balance of $60 or more into the State’s Fresh Start energy debt forgiveness program. Customers are encouraged to apply for USF soon, before these COVID-related expansions expire. The NJDCA administers the USF program for NJ BPU as well as the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program and Low-Income Household Water Assistance Program.
Those who would like to apply for utility assistance are invited to call 2-1-1 or visit the NJDCA’s online application portal at: www.nj.gov/dca/dcaid. For more information about New Jersey’s utility assistance programs please visit NJBPU’s utility assistance webpage at https://nj.gov/bpu/assistance/programs/. If you are in danger of shut off, please apply for assistance and call your utility company to request a payment plan. NJBPU’s Customer Assistance hotline can be reached at 800-624-0241.
