A utility program provides tools so families can better manage their finances
Families struggling not only to pay their energy bills, but also to make all household ends meet are getting a little help from a comprehensive management program offered by Memphis Light, Gas and Water.
The On Track program is designed to help residential customers with limited incomes manage debt and pay off their bills over a period of time. It focuses on education, financial management and social services.
The program is beneficial to both customers and MLGW, Beverly Perkins, corporate social responsibility supervisor at MLGW, told American Gas.
“For customers, it provides an option to avoid services being disconnected, or reconnect services without having to pay the total amount of arrears at one time,” she said. “It also allows MLGW to provide a program that assists customers and improves MLGW’s reputation as a customer-caring institution.”
The program, which is free to families who qualify, also aids in reducing bad debt and utility write-offs, she said.
Participants receive one-on-one assistance from an MLGW service adviser, information on budgeting and saving energy at home, deferred billing plans for up to three years, and deposits credited back to the account after completion of the program.
“Most customers learn about the program through MLGW service advisers and credit counselors when they make contact with the utility regarding payment arrangements and/or establishing services,” Perkins said. “Referrals also come from local social service agencies.”
To participate in the program, customers must attend an orientation where they learn about energy conservation, financial management and the On Track program guidelines. It’s very important families understand that the guidelines require that they make regular payments while in the program, Perkins noted.
As of November 2018, 280 participants were enrolled, and those who completed the program say it was very helpful, she said.
The On Track program was created by Brooklyn Union, a private New York utility company, and brought to Memphis, Tennessee, in 1999 as a collaborative effort among Memphis Light, Gas and Water, Community Services Agency, Tennessee Department of Human Services, Division of Housing and Community Development, Metropolitan Inter-Faith Association, the Community Foundation of Greater Memphis and the United Way of the Mid-South.