City of Seattle Celebrates Community Partners and Highlights Utility Assistance Resources

The Seattle Human Services Department (HSD) recently hosted its annual Energy, Utility, and Resource Summit in partnership with Seattle City Light and Seattle Public Utilities. The event brought together more than 150 attendees-from City departments to community partners-to learn about updates to the City of Seattle's utility assistance programs and other utility-related programs for income-qualified customers. Programs included the Free Toilet Program, Side Sewer Assistance Program, and HomeWise. Representatives from Affordable Seattle, Public Health-Seattle & King County, and other organizations also shared information and resources to help clients save money on utility bills.

Each year, this event gathers a diverse group of programs, resources, services, and experts around affordability, conservation, environmental best practices, and climate justice. Together, attendees create a space for information gathering/sharing, building community, and networking opportunities.

"The collective and collaborative work that we do together can make a far greater impact than if we do it in isolation," said Keynote Speaker Pastor Aaron Williams, of Seattle's University Presbyterian Church. "We must celebrate one another because the work we do is not only hard work, but it's heart work."

As part of that celebration, City staff wanted to recognize and celebrate the "heart work" that so many of our community partners have been doing-even before the pandemic-by presenting awards to several community-based organizations:

• Bellwether Housing
• Family Works
• Fathers and Sons Together (FAST)
• Mercy Housing
• Neighborhood House

Bellwether Housing, worked with Seattle City Light to maximize resident participation in the Utility Discount Program (UDP). This year, the City used data-sharing to auto-enroll Bellwether residents. Data-sharing also allowed City Light to automatically apply the $200 Washington Families Clean Energy Credits to Bellwether resident accounts.

"Bellwether's partnership with the Utility Discount Program connects some of Seattle's lowest income households with a vital financial benefit. Every week many of our residents are forced to make hard decisions around covering medical bills, groceries, rent, and transportation costs," shared one of the agency's staff members. "Every dollar saved by enrolling our residents in the Utility Discount Program helps make these decisions a little easier for them, and we are very grateful for this partnership. We are excited about the process improvements UDP staff have worked on with us to ensure all our eligible residents get enrolled and stay enrolled in this essential program."

In another successful partnership this year, FamilyWorks and UDP staff teamed up for in-person sessions on the first Thursday of each month, helping households with language barriers or eligibility questions apply for the discount program. FamilyWorks and UDP partner together to guide these families over the application hurdles. With recent updates to the online application tool, FamilyWorks staff who provide support entering information can regularly follow up on the status of their clients' customer applications, checking if any other requirements might be needed for approval and helping to ensure clients don't miss any notifications from the program.

The City of Seattle also recently improved its website, making it easier for residents to find information and understand what programs they may qualify for. New online tools can help households apply for multiple programs by pre-filling forms and reusing uploaded documents, while also providing extra support for those using English as a second language. New features allow provider staff to help their clients with online applications and track progress alongside them.

Afterward, HSD staff heard from so many people that they had a wonderful time and can't wait until next year's event. Dee Reed, Customer Care Division Director at Seattle Public Utilities wrote, "Great event! Heartfelt, informative, and great vibes!!!!!!". Another attendee, Aisha, shared that there's so much to learn at the summit and that being in person means so much because it's rare to have so many amazing resources and programs gathered in one place.

For those community providers who were unable to attend, many of the resources are now available on HSD's website. Visit the Energy, Utility & Resource Summit webpage to find a copy of the day's presentations along with several flyers and one-pagers-including some in translation-that can be shared widely with clients and others in the communities you live in and serve.

Get Help with Your Utility Bills

• Over 30,000 households are currently enrolled in the Utility Discount Program but so many more may qualify.
• If you're behind on your utility bills, Seattle City Light (electricity) and Seattle Public Utilities (water/sewer/garbage) also offer other payment plans and bill assistance to help you pay down your bills and maintain your utility services.

Visit the Utility Bill Help page right now.