"No more lines"--CAP begins energy sign ups online

Lower Columbia Community Action Program (CAP) will be introducing online appointment scheduling for energy assistance, beginning Monday, November 18 at 5:00 pm.

For years, 800 to 900 people have lined up outside the CAP building on energy sign up day to get an appointment to help pay their winter heating bills. The program is funded by the federal Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP). It is first-come, first-served, and some people would camp out overnight to be among the first to get an appointment when the CAP doors opened at 8:00 AM.

This year, in an attempt to be more “customer-friendly,” CAP will be using an online appointment scheduler on the CAP website at http://www.lowercolumbiacap.org.

“We were becoming increasingly concerned about people putting themselves at risk in the wet and cold weather,” said CAP Executive Director Ilona Kerby. “We wanted to see if there was a more customer-friendly way to conduct the energy sign up process.”

The Appointment scheduler is available in multiple languages (using Google Translate), and can be accessed from any computer, Smartphone, iPad or other tablet device with Internet connection.

The easy 4-step process will take most people less than 5 minutes to complete.

For people who do not own a computer, there are computers with Internet access available at public libraries and at CAP, located at 1526 Commerce Avenue.

For people who do not know how to operate a computer, they are encouraged to have family, friends, neighbors, or fellow church members help them. On Tuesday, November 19, there will be staff and volunteers available at the CAP computers to assist people.

As in past years, no appointments can be made over the phone.

“People might need to make arrangements to have someone help them sign up, but we think that is still easier and safer than having them stand out in the cold and rain for hours,” said Kerby.

The need for energy assistance far exceeds the resources, and not all people can receive help. Based on state census figures, CAP estimates that the federal funds they receive can serve only about 35% of the households who qualify for energy assistance. In the 2011-12 season, 1,547 households received assistance, with payments totaling $563,209 (Note: With few exceptions, all payments go to Cowlitz PUD and other heating vendors.)

“We wanted to find a sign up process that is fair and equitable, and that is customer-friendly,” said Kerby.

For this purpose, the CAP Board of Directors created a special work group comprised of staff and community members to evaluate the existing process, explore alternative methods, and bring back recommendations for an improved process.

CAP Board member and advocate Angela Fowler was a member of the work group.

“A key part of this process was to seek ideas from the community, especially those community members who use the energy assistance program,” said Fowler, who in addition to being a CAP Board member, has received energy assistance herself.

“It has been important to have Angela’s involvement,” said Kerby, “because she brings the perspective of the consumer to this process.”

To gain community input, Fowler and the work group announced the work group's task in The Daily News and held a community forum in March, set up a CAP Comment Line where people could call and leave their ideas (360-425-3430 ext 207), and set up a 3-question survey on the CAP website at http://www.lowercolumbiacap.org, which was also available in print form.

A number of different ideas were considered, but the online Appointment scheduler seemed to be the most customer-friendly and fairest process.

CAP management will be assessing the effectiveness of the online process and will welcome community input on how to improve it.

In addition to LIHEAP, CAP also administers the PUD’s Senior Discount Rate Program (serving 435 households) and the Disability Discount Rate program (serving 271 households.)

CAP also administers the PUD’s Warm Neighbor Program, which is funded by donations from the community and used only for shut-off emergencies. Neither the PUD nor CAP take any of these funds for administering the Warm Neighbor Program.

The public may use a computer at Wahkiakum Health and Human Services’ Elochoman Campus to register for energy assistance.

The center is open 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday; people may set up an appointment by calling Terri Howell 795-8630.

For more information, call the CAP at 360-425-3430 ext 231, and leave a message with your telephone number.