If you can't pay your utility bills, here's help!/ Si no puede pagar sus facturas de servicios públicos, ¡aquí tiene ayuda!
Lt. Governor Sheila Oliver and NJBPU President Joseph Fiordaliso Urge Residents to "Act Now" on Past-Due Utility Bills
NJ Energy Assistance Brochure and USF/LIHEAP Application
“New for 2021 Season” – Online LIHEAP-USF Application at:
https://njdca-housing.dynamics365portals.us/en-US/dcaid-services/
En español
https://southjerseygas.com/for-my-home/my-service/financial-assistance.aspx?lang=es-MX
South Jersey Gas has suspended service shut-offs due to non-payment to give customers affected by the COVID-19 outbreak additional time to pay their bills. We're here to help – Please review the attached flyer for the assistance programs listed and apply directly online.
If you would like to speak with a South Jersey Gas Customer Service Representative about a Payment Arrangement on a pending or past due balance, please call 1.888.766.9900, Monday through Friday, 7:00 AM – 8:00 PM and Saturday, 9:00 AM – 2:00 PM.
If you have a pending or past due balance and are not able to make any payments at this time due to the pandemic, please email us at contactus@sjindustries.com. We'll note your account and ask that you contact us back in 30 days to provide an update on your ability to pay at that time.
For more information on the energy assistance programs please visit https://southjerseygas.com/for-my-home/my-service/financial-assistance.aspx
An op-ed in the Star-Ledger from Lt. Governor Sheila Oliver and NJBPU President Joseph Fiordaliso reminds residents that there will be no utility shut-offs through at least March 15, 2021, while urging eligible residents with past-due utility bills to take action and enroll in financial assistance programs now, providing an overview of the resources available to them.
These programs can make a big difference for those in need, so it’s critical that this information reaches them. You can read the op-ed below, and we encourage you to help us spread the word about these resources by sharing it with friends, family, and colleagues. Please share this information on all your social media sites and post it directly to Twitter by clicking here.
If you can’t afford to pay your utility bill, New Jersey can help
SHEILA OLIVER and JOSEPH L. FIORDALISO
Over the past seven months, New Jersey has lost nearly 14,600 lives and thousands more are reeling from an unprecedented health and economic disaster. From the moment COVID-19 arrived on our doorstep, Gov. Phil Murphy and the rest of New Jersey worked together to try as much as possible to mitigate the crisis. Unemployment benefits were extended, and evictions postponed. To ensure no one was left without heat, water or electricity due to an inability to pay, we worked with the utility companies to voluntarily halt shut-offs and to promote assistance programs.
We thank the utility companies for working with the administration on the moratorium on service shutoffs and for extending it again last month through at least March 15. Governor Murphy’s Executive Order applies to all gas, electric and water utilities in New Jersey, public and private, and protects against Internet service shut-off in homes with school-age children.
Yet this peace of mind comes with a risk, as residents may ultimately find themselves facing a significant outstanding balance in the spring. We know that with incomes affected by the pandemic, more people are facing economic turmoil than ever. Since March, more than 1.6 million New Jerseyans have filed for unemployment. Some individuals and families may find themselves behind on their utility bills for the very first time.
For that reason, we are encouraging residents to act now to ensure their balances are reduced long before March arrives. The first step to get help is to call your utility company and ask about setting up a Deferred Payment Agreement, or “DPA,” and ask what financial assistance programs the company offers. Especially if your income has been affected by the pandemic, you may be newly eligible for aid.
DPAs allow residents to make gradual payments over the course of up to two years with no down payment required. If a customer is in danger of having their service shut off, or their utility does not offer a DPA, they should call the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities at 800-624-0241 or file an inquiry online.
The second step is to seek help from one of the many assistance programs offered through state agencies like the New Jersey Department of Community Affairs or the state Board of Public Utilities. Benefits can range from income-based financial relief on energy and water bills, to free upgrades that make your home more efficient, thus lowering monthly energy burdens and improving the home’s comfort and safety.
These programs offer financial aid for households of up to New Jersey’s median income, or $123,430 for a family of four. They’ve helped tens of thousands of families over the years and can help residents manage their bills while the utility companies keep critical services flowing. In many cases, these assistance programs have had their budgets expanded and those program funds are available now. Waiting to apply could be like leaving money on the table.
The Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP), for example, helps eligible residents pay their heating and medically necessary cooling bills, and this year it received an additional $26.3 million from the CARES Act. Last year, LIHEAP supported more than 200,000 New Jersey households. This year, program administrators are standing by to help many more.
Similarly, the Universal Service Fund (USF) gives residents up to $1,800 per year toward their energy bills. It’s had its budget increased this year, as well, and enrollment since the 2020-2021 application period opened on Oct. 1 has already exceeded 80,000 households. Given that last year’s total enrollment was 148,000, we anticipate that this year’s demand for the program will far exceed last year’s participation.
Residents should not wait until March to take advantage of these support mechanisms. You can find out if you qualify for state energy assistance programs by completing DCA’s anonymous online screening tool, “DCAid,” or by visiting the Board of Public Utilities’ assistance programs page. Another resource is NJ211, which provides information about local programs.
COVID-19 has left an irreversible impact on our nation that is sure to affect us for months and years to come. As we dig out of this crisis together, let’s ensure that New Jersey residents take advantage of the support mechanisms that are in place now.
We urge those with past-due balances to get in touch with your utility and the state assistance programs as soon as possible, to ensure you get the relief you need.
Sheila Oliver is New Jersey’s lieutenant governor and commissioner of the Department of Community Affairs (DCA). Joseph L. Fiordaliso is president of the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities (NJBPU).
Childcare NJ
To visit the Department of Human Services, Division of Family Development website, click here: ChildCareNJ.
To visit the Department of Human Services, Division of Family Development website, click here: ChildCareNJ.
COVID-19 Your Family's Outdoor Safety Checklists:
Warm weather is arriving across the United States, and consumers are heading outside to do yard work, perform outdoor home repairs and to play and exercise. While you practice safe social distancing and other COVID-19 precautions to protect those you love, Consumer Products Safety Commission (CPSC) urges you to safeguard your family from product-related hazards as well.
In response to the current crisis, CPSC has created a new series of Home Safe Checklists that focus on outdoor activities. Print the lists that work for you, and spend a few moments checking off the safety items. When so much in the world seems beyond control, these checklists are simple, clear steps you can take for the safety of your family.
Home Safe: Yard Work
Home Safe: Outdoor Repairs
Home Safe: Playing Outdoor
Warm weather is arriving across the United States, and consumers are heading outside to do yard work, perform outdoor home repairs and to play and exercise. While you practice safe social distancing and other COVID-19 precautions to protect those you love, Consumer Products Safety Commission (CPSC) urges you to safeguard your family from product-related hazards as well.
In response to the current crisis, CPSC has created a new series of Home Safe Checklists that focus on outdoor activities. Print the lists that work for you, and spend a few moments checking off the safety items. When so much in the world seems beyond control, these checklists are simple, clear steps you can take for the safety of your family.
Home Safe: Yard Work
Home Safe: Outdoor Repairs
Home Safe: Playing Outdoor
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NJ Statewide Parent Advocacy Network
Need Help? 2-1-1 Helps millions of Americans look for resources in their community.
Visit their website here.
Visit their website here.
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Click Find Help Need to find information for housing, food pantries, education, elder care, employment training? Use your zip code and click to all sorts of supports in your local area. Share with friends and family. |
Need help finding out what your family may qualify for?
NJ Helps has a great website and screening tool that can help you and your family determine which services and programs you may qualify for. From Food Stamps to Health Insurance, and for everything in between. Use this link to get started.
NJ Helps has a great website and screening tool that can help you and your family determine which services and programs you may qualify for. From Food Stamps to Health Insurance, and for everything in between. Use this link to get started.
It's here...the new CDC child development tracker App!
Visit the child development tracker site to learn about this new tool to help families become more informed of their child's developmental milestones. Spread the word!
New Jersey Child Passenger Safety
Technical supports in your area.
Please visit the site to inform yourself and family members of new child car safety requirements.
Technical supports in your area.
Please visit the site to inform yourself and family members of new child car safety requirements.
NJ Safe Sleep for Infants and SUIDS Prevention Update:
Please visit and share information with your own families. Great resource for all.
http://njsafesleep.com/main/
Hot off the research press and the American Academy of Pediatrics. Please share with your family and friends:
http://pediatrics.aappublications.org/content/early/2016/10/20/peds.2016-2938
Please visit and share information with your own families. Great resource for all.
http://njsafesleep.com/main/
Hot off the research press and the American Academy of Pediatrics. Please share with your family and friends:
http://pediatrics.aappublications.org/content/early/2016/10/20/peds.2016-2938
Supporting Children with Mental Health Concerns
Help is a phone call away. Hotlines for Students in Need.
Help is a phone call away. Hotlines for Students in Need.
- National Youth Crisis Hotline: 1-800-448-4663
- Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA): 1-800-662-HELP (4357)
- National Alliance of the Mentally Ill: 1-800-950-6264
- The Trevor Project: 866-4-U-TREVOR
- Teen Line: 1-310-855-HOPE (4673)
- National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 1-800-273-TALK (8255)
- National Hopeline Network: 1-800-SUICIDE (784-2433)
New Jersey Department of Human Services Division of Developmental Disabilities (DDD)
Supports Program Policies and Procedures Manual: A Quick Guide for Families can assist families in gaining a basic understanding of the Supports Program and its services.
While this guide can be helpful for any family newly entering Division services and the Supports Program, it is particularly valuable for middle and high school students with intellectual/developmental disabilities and their families.
Supports Program Policies and Procedures Manual: A Quick Guide for Families can assist families in gaining a basic understanding of the Supports Program and its services.
While this guide can be helpful for any family newly entering Division services and the Supports Program, it is particularly valuable for middle and high school students with intellectual/developmental disabilities and their families.
Federal and New Jersey Kinship Supports:
Public benefits available to grandparents and the children they raise vary from state to state. Benefits that may be available include:
•Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF)
•Supplemental Security Income
•Social Security
•WIC Program – This special supplemental food program for women, infants, and children (WIC) can help you buy food for eligible grandchildren in your care. The child must be 5 years old or younger. He or she must also be at risk for poor nutrition. Visit the WIC website to find your state's toll-free number.
•Medicaid
•Guardianship subsidies – Some states have programs that give financial assistance to grandparents who are the legal guardian of a child. However, not all states provide this option. The National Center on Grandparents Raising Grandchildren provides a list of state support services and benefits available to you.
•Legal rights – Many grandparents find they need legal help when making decisions about their grandchildren. If you can't afford a lawyer, try your local legal aid office, court clerk office, or law school clinic for help. You can also go to the American Bar Association website for a directory of legal aid offices in your area". (https://www.usa.gov/child-care)
Public benefits available to grandparents and the children they raise vary from state to state. Benefits that may be available include:
•Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF)
•Supplemental Security Income
•Social Security
•WIC Program – This special supplemental food program for women, infants, and children (WIC) can help you buy food for eligible grandchildren in your care. The child must be 5 years old or younger. He or she must also be at risk for poor nutrition. Visit the WIC website to find your state's toll-free number.
•Medicaid
•Guardianship subsidies – Some states have programs that give financial assistance to grandparents who are the legal guardian of a child. However, not all states provide this option. The National Center on Grandparents Raising Grandchildren provides a list of state support services and benefits available to you.
•Legal rights – Many grandparents find they need legal help when making decisions about their grandchildren. If you can't afford a lawyer, try your local legal aid office, court clerk office, or law school clinic for help. You can also go to the American Bar Association website for a directory of legal aid offices in your area". (https://www.usa.gov/child-care)