Dealing with a mounting utility bill or shut-off notice can be scary, especially during a pandemic when electricity, water and gas are essential for learning or working from home.

In the spring, when people were ordered to stay at home to prevent the spread of the coronavirus, all Ohio utilities stopped disconnecting service for customers who lost their jobs or were working fewer hours and couldn’t pay.

Now, a lot of people are seeking help with overdue bills and disconnection notices. Navigating payment plans, financial assistance programs and emergency funds can be frustrating. Plus, many community service agencies that sign up for these programs are closed to the public, and most applications must be completed all online or over the phone.

Starting in July, those moratoriums started to be lifted. The last moratoriums—Cleveland Public Power and the Cleveland Water Department—are set to end today, Tuesday, Dec. 1. Yesterday, FreshWater ran a story about disconnections and struggles as the moratoriums are lifted and the shutoffs begin.

Today, the Northeast Ohio Solutions Journalism Collaborative has put together a comprehensive guide to the assistance programs that can help find the resources needed in paying those past due utilities bills that are now due—and, hopefully, avoid disconnections. 

Download the guide here. 

Advocates at these agencies say it’s a good idea to get your documents ready when you call for help. Make sure to keep things like your utilities bills, your recent paychecks, and any documentation of a loss of job or proof of unemployment.

If you have trouble getting assistance during the pandemic or tips that might help others, let us know. Take our survey here.

This guide is sponsored by the Northeast Ohio Solutions Journalism Collaborative, which is composed of 20-plus Northeast Ohio news outlets including FreshWater Cleveland.

This guide was created by Shana Black, founder of Black Girl Media, Report for America Corps member Conor Morris, and Cleveland freelance journalist Rachel Dissell. IdeaStream reporter Taylor Haggerty, The Devil Strip reporter Abbey Marshall, and WKYC Reporter Phil Trexler contributed reporting to this guide as well.