With an increase of temperature comes an increase in electric bills. If you can’t afford the increased usage, utility companies have a program to help, but donations to the program have been fluctuating.
The Service to Help Arizonans with Relief on Energy, or SHARE program, pays the energy bill when a person will be unable to. But it’s limited to one-time use every two years.
The Salvation Army is in charge of distributing the money. Last year, they had 16,188 requests and helped around 9,684 people, according to Salvation Army Maj. Barbara Sloan. Sloan said not everyone who applies can be helped because there are specific requirements.
“The people that receive the assistance from SHARE or emergency assistance are people who are in some form of crisis situation or are unable to pay their basic household energy bills, and they’ve exhausted all other potential sources of aid,” Sloan said.
The donations come from tacking on a dollar or two to your monthly electric bill with Arizona Public Service or Salt River Project. SRP collects around $200,000 each year and matches that contribution.
SRP saw an increase of 8 percent in donations in the past three years, but for APS, donations to the program have dropped by 10 percent since 2013. APS spokesperson Anne DeGraw said the donations are still significant.
“These are folks who are giving out of their own pocket to people they don’t know,” DeGraw said. “And that’s truly impressive to me that, you know, even in these times when we all might be hurting a little bit, we’re still giving almost half a million dollars.”
DeGraw said rising summer temperatures mean a greater need for help, especially in July and August.