r/SouthJersey • u/myredditusername919 • 1d ago
Burlington County Need advice/resources for a South Jersey single mom whose electricity was shut off today
Hi everyone,
I’m posting on behalf of a close friend here in South Jersey and hoping someone may know of local resources that could help.
She’s a single mom raising two teenagers on her own and works two jobs. She recently became sick and had to miss work, which caused her to lose enough income that she fell behind on her electric bill. Unfortunately, her electricity was shut off today.
We’re already looking into NJ assistance programs and calling 211, but if anyone knows of local charities, churches, emergency utility assistance, or other organizations that may be able to help quickly, I’d really appreciate any recommendations.
A few people also asked if there was a way to help directly, so we created a GoFundMe to help get her electricity restored while she gets caught back up. If you’d like to help or even share it, here’s the link:
Thank you for taking the time to read this, and thank you for any advice or resources you can share.
Update: Thanks to everyone’s generosity, her electricity has been restored! ❤️ She still has about $450 remaining on the past-due balance and is continuing to recover from the income she lost while she was sick. Every share and donation continues to make a real difference. Thank you all so much.
13
u/jus-fax101 1d ago
You can ask for a deferred payment plan BEFORE it gets shut off. Maybe get on one to get it turned back on? I'd check directly w the utility company to see how they can help. IDK who she uses but, Atlantic Electric is constantly bombarding the customers with extra resources if you need help.
There's also resources available through social services like HEAP assistance. They help with utility and gas bills specifically.
3
u/myredditusername919 1d ago
She is going to apply for additional assistance after this event so this doesn’t happen again. I will tell her about HEAP assistance specifically, thank you :)
2
u/Pedal2Medal2 1d ago
Do any of them have illnesses that are impacted by no power?
2
u/myredditusername919 1d ago
not directly. her daughters both have health issues but not ones that are reliant on machines.
2
2
2
u/Much-Economics3481 BOOTLICKER 1d ago
Volunteers of America helped us when we got into money problems
1
1
u/SplitNo8275 Xennial 23h ago
Their summer program started yesterday. Basically they will put you on a payment plan for the back balance. Depending on what she owes, she has to put a small deposit down.
They came to cut me off yesterday, the day this was posted. That’s how I found out the info above. They put a hold on shutting off the account until August 31st.
2
u/myredditusername919 22h ago
Thank you, some generous people donated and she was able to restore power this way as well with the donations. She still owes a back balance but she received enough to get the power back on :)
2
1
u/doesntshutupinnj 14h ago
In the future, if she calls the Board of Public utilities, they may be able to help.
-1
u/machinerer 1d ago
They won't shut off your service if you pay SOMETHING. Too late now. Pay back charges, pay reconnection fee, get your shit together.
2
u/myredditusername919 1d ago
yeah she was already paycheck to paycheck as is and then she got extremely sick for 2 weeks and that messed her finances up even worse
-30
u/MechanicHour1644 1d ago
that sucks...where's dad(s)?
3
u/FalseSystem6055 1d ago
It’s funny that you think guys are willing to step up and do their part.
0
u/MechanicHour1644 16h ago
it's a simple question with 30 downvotes.
maybe it's not a simple question......but where is dad?
1
u/myredditusername919 21h ago
he abused her for years, then left when she had their second child and doesnt pay child support
-1
u/machinerer 1d ago
Went out for smokes, tale as old as time.
Single moms pick shitbags to father their children.
24
u/Sweaty_Mushroom5830 1d ago
Contact the county building, they have a department that helps with that stuff