Southern California Gas Co. on Monday launched a campaign to inform customers whose income has changed due to the coronavirus pandemic or for other reasons to apply for the utility's assistance program.
The California Alternate Rates for Energy or CARE program saves qualifying SoCalGas customers 20% on their monthly natural gas bills. Over the next several weeks, the utility will begin running both social media and television ads promoting the "SoCalGas CAREs" campaign.
"SoCalGas is committed to assisting the communities we serve during this challenging period," said Jeff Walker, vice president of Customer Solutions at SoCalGas. "We recognize that many families are facing unexpected hardships such as job and income loss right now and we want to remind them that SoCalGas' assistance programs like CARE can help."
Customers who have become recently unemployed or who are currently facing financial hardship due to the coronavirus pandemic or for other reasons are encouraged to visit socalgas.com/care, complete the quick online application and find out instantly if they qualify. The CARE online application is available in English, Spanish, Chinese, Korean and Vietnamese.
Other customer assistance programs SoCalGas offers include:
- Gas Assistance Fund: If you or someone you know is having difficulty paying your gas bill, the Gas Assistance Fund may be able to provideyou with a one-time grant for the amount of the gas bill, not to exceed $100. The Gas Assistance Fund is a joint effort of SoCalGas and United Way of Greater Los Angeles, which works with nonprofit partner organizations throughout the utility's service territory to administer the program, which is based on yearly income level.
- Medical Baseline Allowance program, which provides additional natural gas at the lowest baseline rate for individuals with a serious health condition. You may qualify for the Medical Baseline Allowance if a full-time member of your household: has a life-threatening illness or a compromised immune system; is seriously disabled; requires more heat in winter due to a serious health condition or to prevent deterioration of the individual's medical condition. Eligibility is based on medical condition only, not household income.
Visit socalgas.com/assistance for more information on how to know if you qualify for those programs, as well as how to apply.
Headquartered in Los Angeles, SoCalGas is the largest gas distribution utility in the United States, with 21.8 million customers across 24,000 square miles of Central and Southern California.
