General

A pop-up for utility assistance

In an effort to help ease the financial burden of struggling households, OPPD recently held an Energy Assistance Program (EAP) pop-up event.

The event, held at the Latino Resource Center of the Midlands, helped customers in South Omaha manage and pay off their past-due utility bills.

The pop-up was the kick off of a pilot program. The program aims to ensure that families can maintain access to essential services and to help bolster the financial stability and well-being of our customers. More pop-ups will follow.

Sources of utility assistance

OPPD partnered with the Latino Resource Center of the Midlands, Family Housing Advisory Services and United Way/211. Employees from the groups involved helped customers sign up for help with their power bills.

Social service workers from the Department of Health and Human Services were also on hand. They helped qualifying residents enroll in the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program.

Members of OPPD’s Customer Care Team were available to handle billing and payment questions. They also helped customers whose power was cut off get their power turned back on.

Overall, 43 customers got help with their electric bills, receiving and average of $331 from the  EAP. The first 75 customers to arrive also received a $20 gift card for groceries.

“I am proud I was part of this pilot event,” said Maria Bishop, a customer service advocate at OPPD. She was on hand to help many of the attendees through the process. “Our goal was to help those in need with energy and billing assistance. By providing support in both English and Spanish, we were able to bridge the language barrier while making the process more accessible.

“It was incredibly fulfilling to see how offering customers assistance in their native language made a significant difference, not only in terms of utility support but also in empowering the community to seek help confidently.”

‘Being helped in my language’

Rita Lopez, an OPPD customer, attended the event to look into getting help with past-due bills.

“I learned about this event from the Latino Resource Center of the Midlands,” she said. “I participate in a few of the programs they provide, and they told me about this opportunity.

“Due to unexpected circumstances and caring for a sick family member, we have been falling behind on our bill. I’m here to look for a solution and arrange payments and get us back on our feet. I appreciate being helped in my language, as sometimes it’s difficult to get someone to interpret for me.”

OPPD plans to hold more pop-up events throughout our 13-county service areas

All EAP funds come from donations made by customers, employees and community partnerships. All program funds go toward helping customers who need assistance with their utility bills.

For more information about the Energy Assistance Program and other available programs, and to learn whether you qualify for assistance, check the Energy Assistance page on oppd.com.