A hotline to help people in financial crisis pay their utility bills received so many calls in June it had to close after only a week.
The Phoenix Salvation Army’s utility hotline had to close after more than 500 calls poured in over seven days. By comparison, the hotline stayed open 14 days during the same month last year.
Callers to the hotline now get an automated message that says: “We have currently reached our maximum funding allowance and this line will be closed until the following month.”
The hotline operates year-round, though summer months are the busiest.
Last summer, case volume was so high that officials had to shut down the line midway through some months. The three caseworkers can handle only so many calls with the available funding.
The program helps Phoenix residents who have a financial crisis – such as a job loss – pay their utility bills with Salt River Project, Arizona Public Service and Southwest Gas.
“If you are running a paycheck-to-paycheck kind of a budget and say you have a car repair, it’s really going to throw your budget off,” said Michele Kirkpatrick, manager of the Emergency Assistance Program.