ACORN Wins Additional Low-Income Assistance Funds in DC

A low-income advocacy group in the nation's capital has gotten the city to release $1 million from the its "rainy day fund," which is being distributed through the District of Columbia Energy office, the LIHEAP grantee, to help eligible households with their utility bills.

The Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now (ACORN) had been meeting with city officials and seeking additional funding since the District's LIHEAP funds were exhausted earlier this year. ACORN claims to be the nation's largest community organization of low- and moderate-income families, with over 100,000 member families organized into 500 neighborhood chapters in 40 cities across the country.

The $1 million was released to the DC Energy Office on March 12. To distribute these funds, every Thursday the DC Energy Office is providing staff at DC ACORN's newly created Utilities Service Center to help low-income families receive utilities assistance. In addition, Washington Gas is providing a shut-off prevention program one day per week through the ACORN Utilities Service Center. Each week, Washington Gas representatives help families with overdue bills to develop agreements to avoid shutoff or have their service turned back on.

For more information, contact Will Ward at dcacorn@acorn.org

Source: ACORN

Page Last Updated: December 7, 2005