Low-income Seattle families to be auto-enrolled for city utility discounts

SEATTLE — Low-income Seattle families may soon be auto-enrolled for utility discounts through a proposed city program.

Mayor Ed Murray and the Seattle Housing Authority announced program changes Wednesday.

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"Too many families are still struggling to meet basic needs," Murray said in a news release. "This partnership with the Seattle Housing Authority will cut utility bills in half for financially strapped residents so they can manage their utility costs on tight budgets."

Once auto-enrollment is complete, the Utility Discount Program would provide over $10 million in assistance each year to tenants, according to city officials.

The average household benefit would be $1,030 annually.

"I am on disability and have a limited income. After I pay my bills, the lights, phone, water, there's nothing left. This will leave me with a few dollars to buy groceries and whatever else is needed. It's a blessing," Ed Frezier, a resident at Rainier Vista in South Seattle, said in the release.

Pending legislative approval by the Seattle City Council, the program will be available for residential City Light & Seattle Public Utilities customers with household incomes of less than 70 percent of the state median -- around $60,000 for a family of four.

[Follow this link for more program information.]

Income-eligible households would be notified that they have been auto-enrolled in the Utility Discount Program, beginning Aug. 1.

“Having light, heat, and water are basic needs that every resident should have,” Council President Bruce Harrell said in the city release. “As a compassionate City, we have demonstrated our commitment to helping our residents by continually improving one of the strongest utility discount programs in the nation.”

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