VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. — Some people and businesses in the Commonwealth will be getting bill assistance after many of them were hit hard by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Virginia Natural Gas said Wednesday it will be helping connect the customers who fell behind on their energy bills. This includes more than 7,300 people.
The energy company plans tp provide financial assistance with the help of $1.6 million received through the COVID-19 Relief Fund (Phase II).
“We know the past year has been difficult and recognize that COVID-19 has affected many of our customers, potentially impacting their source of income,” wrote Robert Duvall, VNG president. “This second phase of grants shows our commitment to help meet the needs of our customers.”
Those funds were granted in a special assistance program, created to help customers pay down, or even pay off, their past-due energy bills.
Earlier in the year, the company helped connected 12,000 customers to over $2 million of the grant funding issued in Phase I. In Dec. 2020, they got $4.4 million from the relief fund through the Virginia State Corporation Commission, part of the CARES ACT.
“Though the country and the state of Virginia are on the mend and recovering from the adverse impacts of the pandemic, the number of requests we received in Phase II shows there’s still a need — a need to continue assisting our customers by helping distribute critical relief funds that help provide peace of mind,” added Duvall.
The customers who qualify will automatically receive a one-time grant.
A credit will be automatically applied to their account as "Coronavirus Relief Fund." This will be for their June or July bill, and you won't have to pay it back.
