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Memphis, TN. - Under Mayor Wharton's direction, the Shelby County CSA Winter Utility Assistance Program implemented a new process in 2006 to help residents who had received MLGW cut-off notices access limited funds to assist them in paying their bill. The Shelby County Call Center was so successful that it has been used every year since it inception to help Shelby County citizens access winter utility funds. The Call Center allows citizens to stay in the comfort of their homes or places of employment while getting winter utility funding information and/or scheduling appointments.
Shelby County is committed to serving residents in need of winter utility assistance in the most efficient manner possible. Even though funding is very limited, we expect to assist between 956 and 1,070 residents who qualify for the program this winter. While we acknowledge the need in our community is far greater than the funding available for the Shelby County CSA Winter Utility Assistance Program, we continue to work with the Federal, State, and local community to increase the amount of funding available for utility assistance.
The Shelby County Call Center, staffed by Shelby County employees, will have 87 customer service representatives, of which 2 are bi-lingual (English/Spanish). The Call Center will begin handling calls and scheduling appointments on Tuesday, January 29, from 9:00 AM to 7:30 PM. Residents can also call on Wednesday, January 30 between 9:00 AM and 7:30 PM and Thursday, January 31 between 9:00 AM and 1:00 PM. The Shelby Center Call Center will answer questions, explain program requirements, schedule appointments and help residents navigate through the process.
The Call Center will continue handling calls until all funds have been distributed. No appointments will be made in person at any of the Shelby County CSA sites throughout the County. All appointments must be made by phone 901-535-2200.
The utility assistance process is as follows:
- you must call to get an appointment,
- meet all program requirements,
- go to the scheduled appointment, and
- bring all required documentation before any funds will be disbursed.
To qualify for assistance, you will need to have received a recent cut-off notice from MLGW, meet the Federal income requirements, and have one of the following:
- an adult living in your home who is 60 years or older,
- a child living in your home who is 6 years or younger,
- an adult or child living in your home who is disabled, or
- within the past 90 days you have experienced a major uncontrollable circumstance which has made it difficult to pay your utility bill.
Any resident who has received utility assistance from Shelby County CSA anytime between July 2007 and today will not be eligible to participate in this program. Funds are very limited and "walk-ins" will not be given an appointment at any of the Shelby County CSA locations. We will continue to schedule appointments by phone until all funds have been distributed.
For more information, call 901-535-2200.
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