Palm Coast Offering $700-Credit to Up to 360 Lower-Income Households to Help Pay Utility Bills

Palm Coast government this week launched a utility-payment assistance program designed to help families or households cash-strapped by the covid-19 pandemic to defray the cost of utility bills. Renters and homeowners are both eligible.

The city is providing $700 grants to eligible households in grants that don’t have to be repaid, and that would enable recipients to defray costs over six months. The city estimates that p to 360 households, including rentals, may be eligible.

The application form is linked here. MOney will be distributed on a first-come, first-served basis. The application may be completed and submitted online. If you are unable to submit the application online, please call Customer Service at 386-986-2360 for assistance.

The city received $300,000 in CARES Act money (Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security Act) to underwrite the program through the Community Development Block Grant Program.

There are eligibility requirements:

You must be a resident of Palm Coast, and must have been a resident for at least three months. You must be a Palm Coast utility customer dating back to at least Jan. 21, 2020. You must have experienced a loss of income attributable to covid-19. And you must be considered a low-income household.

For example, if you’re a four-person household, you are eligible if your household income is below $52,500. See the chart below:

You will not get cash in hand. Rather, the program will provide a credit to your water bill through your Palm Coast Utility account in an amount equal to six months of utility bills, averaging out to a little over $100 a month credit. You are eligible only one time. In other words, once the credit runs out, you may not reapply.




You will be required to show proof of eligibility along these lines, according to the city:

• Application approval will require documentation of your loss of income due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
• Approval letter for unemployment claim. If you don’t have an unemployment benefits notification, please indicate on your application and someone will contact you to discuss other acceptable documentation.
• Documentation of your household income for 2019 prior will be required. You may be asked to provide a copy of your 2019 IRS 1040 form.
• The completed application must have all required documentation attached.

You will then receive notification by email regarding approval or denial. If you do not provide an email address, a city representative will call you. You could expect this notification within two to three weeks of submitting your application. If approved a credit will be applied to your utility account.

If you have a utility bill payment due before your application is approved, you are expected to continue to pay your utility bills. Your grant approval will indicate the amount and the time period the amount is anticipated to cover. If you are shut off already, please call Customer Service at 386-986-2360 to make arrangements until the review of your grant application is completed.