Time magazine put a spotlight heading into the fall on the toll the summer heat had taken quite literally on “more than 80 million Americans are having difficulty paying their bills during the COVID-19 recession,” pointing to the findings by the U.S. Census Bureau as an alarm sounding for households around the country facing the reality heading into the fall that while “some states have been extending their COVID-19 moratoriums as the pandemic stretches on, utility shutoff moratoriums in Florida, Virginia, and other states have ended, leaving millions of working-class people holding the bag. And even if you’re fortunate enough to be covered by a moratorium, it doesn’t mean you’re in the clear — it only means your unpaid bills are deferred. This means that you could owe several months’ worth of water, electric, or gas bills, on top of getting those utilities shut off when your state moratorium expires.”
Noting in while that “state, county, and city governments and private utility companies have enacted utility shutoff moratoriums in response to historic unemployment numbers and COVID-19, many of these programs have already expired or will expire soon, according to the Wall Street Journal.” Doubling down on the danger these families face, the National Energy Assistance Directors’ Association (NEADA), which represents state administrators of the federal Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program projected that “at the end of October, only 40% of the U.S. population was covered by a COVID-19 moratorium — down from 57% in July.”
Local advocacy groups were also working around the clock to help these families catch up or postpone the looming threat of a cutoff, with one vocal example coming courtesy of Jim Chilsen, spokesperson for Illinois’ Citizens’ Utility Board, whose organization Time reported along with “state officials, consumer advocates, and major utility companies such as People’s Gas and ComEd came to an agreement that allowed families to get the financial assistance they needed with their energy bills — no questions asked.” Urging households in need of help to reach out, Chilsen reasoned that the helping hand was waiting for those who reach out to “these utilities and let them know you’re experiencing financial hardship, and then you can connect to see these consumer protections. All you need to say is, ‘I’m struggling to pay my bills.’ No documented proof of hardship is required [in Illinois]. You can connect to the moratorium on disconnection, you can sign up for consumer-friendly payment programs, and also deposits will be waived.”
By. J.B.
https://time.com/nextadvisor/in-the-news/utility-bill-deferment-ending/