Coronavirus Crisis Relief
We are temporarily suspending service disconnections and late fees for customer non-payment during the coronavirus crisis.
In addition to immediately putting a hold on electric disconnections and water service shut-offs for those who are behind on their utility bills, we are expanding bill assistance programs and implementing residential and commercial loan deferrals to help customers through the economic disruptions caused by the virus outbreak.
Customers who avoid service shutoffs during this grace period will still owe EWEB for past due balances, and are encouraged to contact us to make payment arrangements or inquire about assistance programs to avoid accruing a large overdue bill.
Starting April 1, we will expand our EWEB Customer Care program to provide a $260 credit to any customer who loses a job. Affected customers can apply for this bill credit by submitting proof of unemployment benefits from the Oregon Employment Department.
Unlike other assistance programs, the job loss benefit doesn't include an income threshold.
"There are no income guidelines, and there's a high likelihood there are people out there who believe they have to be limited income to qualify," said Rene Gonzalez, EWEB's Customer Solutions manager. "The only qualifying factor is that a customer must have proof of receiving state unemployment benefits within the last 14 days of the application date."
We are also increasing the amount of funding available to limited income and job loss applicants in order to increase the number of customers receiving a $260 credit. Over the next three months, we will double the amount of funding originally budgeted for EWEB Customer Care bill assistance program in response to the coronavirus crisis.
And customers with residential or commercial energy-efficiency loans will be able to defer those loan payments as part of EWEB's crisis relief program.
As the virus-related economic disruptions increase in the coming days and weeks, we are urging those affected to call Customer Service at (541) 685-7000 for help in paying their utility bills or setting up payment plans.
Customers experiencing a reduction in pay due to slowing business conditions, or those forced to take unpaid leave due to coronavirus mitigation efforts, should contact us to inquire about crisis funding. We will consider these on a case-by-case basis.
Our focus during this crisis will continue to be protecting public and employee safety while making sure we are able to maintain the essential services of delivering high-quality water and reliable electricity to customers. Read more about EWEB's response to the coronavirus.
