City of Kissimmee educates about power, bill assistance

Every month, the city of Kissimmee highlights a social service offered by local agencies to help families in need.

This month, the city is focusing on the power and bill assistance provided by Osceola through the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program, also known as LIHEAP.

LIHEAP has three categories: home energy assistance, crisis assistance, and weather-related assistance. Still, it is with the help of local utility companies that this service can be provided to hundreds of residents annually.

Kissimmee Utility Authority (KUA), through its Good Neighbor Utility Fund, collects donations from other KUA customers and then donates the funds to Osceola Council on Aging to manage the assistance program for residents who are unable to pay their power bill.

Toho Water Authority provides guides for customers who are unable to pay their monthly bill and need a payment extension. This aid can be requested through Toho Water’s webpage before the water bill goes past due.

“If you are an Osceola County resident whether you live in the city of Kissimmee or St. Cloud, and you meet our financial guidelines for the program, which is about 150 percent of the Federal poverty guideline, you get assistance.

For a family of four, if you make less than $3,200 a month, you qualify,” said Warren Hougland with Osceola Council on Aging.

Residents who need assistance with utility bills should contact Osceola Council on Aging for more information or visit their website at www.osceolagenerations.org.

Annually, the city of Kissimmee provides grant funding to local nonprofit agencies, which provides necessary and specialized services to senior citizens, disabled adults, and disadvantaged families in Osceola County.

Although the city does not provide direct services, the city develops partnerships and utilizes best practices to improve the quality of life of those citizens within our community.

For more information about these services visit, www.kissimmee.org/resources.