Cooling bill assistance Allendale, Orangeburg, Calhoun, , Bamberg South Carolina.
Emergency assistance for paying cooling and air conditioning bills is offered by the Orangeburg-Calhoun-Allendale-Bamberg Community Action Agency Inc. All resources are offered for low income families and people who are considered most at risk, such as seniors or the disabled. Elderly residents are considered to be 60 and older.
Applications for summer cooling bill assistance are usually taken for a very defined timeframe during the summer. All assistance is provided, and applications are taken, on a first come, first serve basis provided funds are available. The amount of money, and funding, will change from year to year and is always limited.
The federal government and South Carolina Emergency Crisis Intervention Program authorizes this voucher program for the low income. In order to be able to receive assistance from this program, all qualified clients must have either their utilities disconnected for less than five days, or they need to have a final notice from their utility company with a cutoff date within five days.
Cash grants and vouchers will be provided for paying air conditioning or cooling charges only. Other utilities such as water, butane gas, appliance repairs, are not paid for by the summer program.
Application process for cooling bill assistance
The OCAB Community Action Agency works to help the low income and working poor, eliminate the causes and conditions of poverty, and provide financial assistance and social services in the four-county service area. Energy bill assistance is always in high demand. So the application process for this, and many other forms of aid, is as follows.
The utility bill to be paid must be in the client's name or a household resident 18 or older must be named on the account. A South Carolina picture ID is required as well. The current utility bill can’t be more than 30 days old.
Applicants for emergency assistance must also present an itemized utility bill to determine if there are any unauthorized charges. Any unauthorized payments must be paid by the applicant, and proof of payment is required.
Any printouts from the South Carolina utility company must have an official vendor stamp on it. Clients of the program must also provide proof of the emergency such as official statements, receipts, printouts, or cancelled checks to Orangeburg-Calhoun-Allendale-Bamberg Community Action Agency Inc. All documents must be dated within 30 days of the date of the application.
Low income residents seeking help with paying their cooling bills must apply for services in the South Carolina County where they reside. Only original documents and copies of bills will be accepted throughout this process. No faxed documents can be used. All documentation must be available to start the application process and also available during enrollment.
Families must reside in one of the four target counties in South Carolina and will need to provide proof of eligibility, which includes, but is not limited to, applicant's Social Security card, Medicaid or Medicare card (if applicable), birth dates for all household members; and valid South Carolina picture identification.
If the Social Security information for income verification is used by the interested individual, then they will also need to bring the 2011 SSI or SSA award letter, not a copy of the check. The Department of Social Services Household Summary can be used to establish zero income. If you are disabled, bring proof, which can be an official disability statement from a social service agency, SSI or SSA, for help on Monday and Tuesday. Doctor's statements cannot be used for proof of disability.
The address on the required picture ID for applicants, such as their S.C. driver's license, must be the same as the address on the individual’s utility bill account. If the amount of the applicant's summer cooling bill is more than the maximum assistance or voucher payment, the customer will still need to pay the balance before the application is taken. The client must provide a receipt for the partial payment to prove it.
Orangeburg-Calhoun-Allendale-Bamberg Community Action Agency Inc. application sites.
Visit or call your local OCAB office. They are the as follows.
- OCAB Central Office in Orangeburg, 1822 Joe S. Jeffords Highway, phone number 803-536-1027.
- The neighborhood center in Allendale is located at 765 Bay St., call 803-584-3845.
- Bowman office is at 131 Poplar St., 803-829-2701.
- Denmark, 122 East Coker St., telephone 803-793-4373.
- Holly Hill, 1250 Unity Road, dial 803-496-5370.
- Neeses, 6194 Neeses Hwy., main number is 803-247-2691
- St. Matthews, 2381 Old Belleville Road, telephone 803-874-3384, ext. 125.
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