05-10-2021 BPU RPT 21 - Laserfiche WebLink

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RIVERSIDE PUBLIC UTILITIES Board Memorandum BOARD OF PUBLIC UTILITIES DATE: MAY 10, 2021 REPORT SHARE and ERAP Program Participation July 2020 through March 2021 SHARE Program The SHARE program provided assistance to over 4,000 electric customers and over 1,300 water customers for fiscal-year 19/20. Effective July 22, 2020, qualified customers can receive $15.00 per month for their electric bill and $2.75 for their water bill. The SHARE program maintained the once-annual $150 assistance to customers but has limited it to either deposit assistance or emergency assistance for customers that receive a disconnection notice but are unable to pay. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the delinquency process was put on hold until further notice. Effective, July 16, 2020 the SHARE program guidelines were updated to allow an urgent notice to qualify customers for the $150 emergency assistance. Once the COVID-19 state emergency ceases to exist, we will revert back to our current program guidelines upon management approval. On March 23, 2021, the City Council approved an increase to the emergency/deposit assistance from $150 to $250. Approximately, 1,548 customers that received the $150 from March 1, 2020 to March 31, 2021 retroactively received the additional $100 credit. Over the second year of the enhanced program, the total number of customers approved for SHARE assistance was 4,084. This represented a year-over-year decrease of 2% when compared to 4,175 customers served between July 2018 and June 2019. Participation continues to trend similar to prior years despite increasing outreach. The number of customers served July 2020 through March 2021 is 2,181, a 40% decrease from the previous year. Staff understands that this is due to the current economic conditions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic and the halt of the delinquency process.