By: Erine Gray, findhelp
Despite the Federal Reserve’s attempts to rein back inflation, skyrocketing prices continue to strain Americans’ wallets — making it challenging for millions of people to afford utilities, housing, and other vital services this winter. Yet PECO, Pennsylvania’s largest electric and natural gas provider, has found a way to connect thousands of Pennsylvanians with verified social care resources, including food, housing, utility assistance, and more through a partnership with findhelp, a company working to modernize America’s social safety net.
“Through PECO and findhelp’s collaboration, Pennsylvania residents can privately search for and access free and reduced-cost services in their area. As energy and utility executives look to assist customers in the new year, this partnership can serve as a model for companies seeking to help underserved individuals and families in their community,” says Patricia King, PECO Community Engagement Manager.
Sustained inflation has increased national average heating costs by 18% since last winter and caused over 20 million Americans to fall behind on utility bills. The inability to afford heat in the winter leads to an increased risk for medical issues.
Federal programs like Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) provide individuals and families with utility assistance, but many Americans have not applied to LIHEAP. That means that as Americans spend $25 billion more on energy bills than one year ago, some low-income families are left to choose between paying for food, healthcare, rent or utilities. In Pennsylvania alone, 2.24 million people fell behind on their energy bills between November 2021 and November 2022, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. More than one-third of those households have at least one child in their home.
Connecting households to services
PECO’s Community Engagement team has been committed to increasing awareness about its utility support programs for years. When the pandemic forced a pause on in-person outreach, PECO partnered with a social care network to expand its impact and create a modern, digital way for customers to learn about utility resources and more.
Through its partnership with findhelp, PECO’s community outreach program now includes an accessible and modern approach to connect people with utility assistance programs. Since PECO recognizes that customers who struggle to pay for utilities may also be food or housing insecure, peco.findhelp.com serves as an entry point for several other social services. Visitors can use the site to search anonymously for resources beyond utility support, including food pantries, transportation assistance, rental assistance, job training, childcare, substance abuse treatment and more.
During its pilot stage, peco.findhelp.com processed nearly 5,000 searches for free and reduced-cost services. During the pilot, platform data revealed that people who initially visited the site for utility assistance also sought help from a range of social care resources, including assistance with housing, food and personal loans. In addition, healthcare, legal services and education were among the top searches for people utilizing the platform.
Reaching vulnerable people
Before PECO initiated its partnership with findhelp, the utility was already dedicated to serving its community through outreach programs. Now, findhelp’s network empowers PECO to connect people in need with thousands of free and reduced-cost services in their area, all on one website. The website is free for everyone, even people who aren’t PECO customers.
The new partnership has already impacted thousands of lower-income customers, since findhelp has identified, verified and digitally indexed over 600,000 nonprofit and social services program locations in every ZIP Code in the United States, including over 1,970 resources serving every county in Pennsylvania. Over 20 million people nationwide have used findhelp to connect with free and reduced-cost services. By leveraging findhelp’s network, PECO has launched a way to reach people in need and efficiently connect them to assistance programs.
About the Author
Erine Gray is Founder and CEO of findhelp. He founded findhelp in 2010 and leads the company’s vision. Erine is a 2019 TED Senior Fellow and has deep expertise in eligibility programs for public healthcare services. Prior to starting findhelp, he helped the Texas Health and Human Services Commission streamline their public benefits enrollment process.
