People check in at a registration desk during a Project Reach Senior Expo at Sams Town Thursday, Aug. 24, 2023. The expos, a partnership of United Way of Southern Nevada and the NV Energy Foundation, provide assistance with utilities for low-income people age 62 or older.
Tuesday, Aug. 29, 2023 | 2 a.m.
Karen Maldonado walked into an energy assistance program for Las Vegas area senior citizens at Sam’s Town a few minutes after the event started.
Judging by the line that wrapped around the property, there’s a significant need.
Maldonado grabbed a number — 193 — and took her seat, chatting excitedly with other senior citizens waiting to get financial support for their past-due utility bills through the Project REACH (Relief Through Energy Assistance to Prevent Customer Hardships) Senior Expo event.
In under two hours, Maldonado was able to get support for her electric, gas, water and sewage bills, then get recertified for the Cox Communications affordable connectivity program and NV Energy’s expanded solar access program. Nearly 200 seniors received assistance at the event, organizers said.
“Wow, I did not know that there were so many other people like me here too,” Maldonado said with tears in her eyes. “You didn’t feel like you were the only one, the odd man out.”
The event last week was the first of four utility assistance expos over the next two weeks.
The annual events arrive about a month after the Public Utilities Commission of Nevada approved a request from NV Energy to temporarily reduce quarterly rates for customers in July, August and September by between roughly 5% and 16%.
Project REACH was created as a utility assistance program funded by the NV Energy Foundation — the company’s community service branch — to help residents pay their energy bills, said Tony Sanchez, executive vice president of business development and external relations at NV Energy.
Seniors ages 62 years and older, “medically fragile” adults and military members who meet certain income guidelines can apply for bill assistance once every year on a rolling basis.
The expo is enhanced this summer with NV Energy Foundation partnering with United Way of Southern Nevada to provide in-person bill assistance, said Julian High, president and CEO of United Way of Southern Nevada.
In the past, the event — then called the Senior Energy Assistance Expo — was a one-day affair at Cashman Center led by NV Energy and with the help of partners like Southwest Gas.
This year, NV Energy provided United Way of Southern Nevada with a $500,000 grant to run this program for the first time, High said.
“People are having to make choices between buying their medicine and putting gas in their car, or buying their medicine and paying their utility bill,” High said. “Hopefully, Project REACH provides some relief for that in this season.”
In addition to meeting the age requirements, eligible customers must have a past-due utility bill in the name and service address of the applicant and meet federal income eligibility guidelines to qualify for assistance.
For a single senior, that means they can make up to $29,160 annually — or $2,430 a month — to receive financial support, officials said.
Individuals or households that apply may receive up to $300 in bill assistance from NV Energy, an amount that was doubled in 2021 amid rising inflation and natural gas prices, Sanchez said.
The price of natural gas, which NV Energy uses to fuel its electric generating stations, has risen nearly 500% since 2021, according to the utilities commission.
This year, for the first time ever, seniors were able to receive support not only for their electric bills, but their gas, water and sewage as well.
High said that it may be more difficult for senior citizens, who may experience financial as well as medical issues, to travel around the region for various services. This is why many agencies in the nonprofit sector “are working together to make sort of one-stop shopping more of a reality for the most vulnerable.”
“For our customers, it’s not always easy to get around,” Sanchez said. “You can see the number of walkers, electric scooters — and sometimes their kids have to bring them — and we want to make it as easy for them as possible,” Sanchez said.
Maldonado, 75, worked as a switchboard operator on the Las Vegas Strip for 25 years and spent over 10 years working part-time as an usher until retiring four years ago.
The grandmother, whose husband died two decades ago, said she made less than $24,000 a year, she said. And even on her fixed income, she tries to treat her 8-year-old grandson with outings.
The grandson, Maldonado said, “always knows ‘Mama, is it in the budget?’ because I always tell him that it’s not in the budget … And he’s learned and he accepts it when I say it’s not in the budget.”
Jennifer Beckwith, director of marketing for United Way of Southern Nevada, said around 1,000 senior residents attended the initial two events last week. Project REACH supported 1,815 households last year, and Beckwith said they were expecting that to increase by 25% once the events wrap up.
High explained that it was “indicative of where we are at this point in terms of energy costs and gas bills and food bills and all those things that really have pressure points on seniors on fixed incomes.”
The project has a pair of events this week — 8 a.m. to 12 p.m. today at Aliante Casino in North Las Vegas and 8 a.m. to 12 p.m. Thursday at Palace Station.
Residents should bring their state driver’s license or identification card, a copy of their current past-due utility bill and proof of income or pending income — which can include a paycheck stub, Social Security statement or current income tax records.
Those who cannot attend one of the expo dates can still apply for past-due utility bill assistance by calling 702-402-5200.
“We encourage your readers to — you know, (it) might not impact them, but maybe their parents or friends or anybody that might know — please reach out to us and we’ll make sure they’re taken care of,” Sanchez said.
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