"It's a huge blessing": PNM's Good Neighbor Fund holds bill assistance event

Vanessa Muller’s power was set to be disconnected this Mondaybecause of an overdue bill. Muller is unemployed, lives on fixed income through Social Security and cares for her special needs daughter full time. She knew she needed financial help to keep her heat on.

“It’s cold now," she said, "and we can’t be in the cold."

She was among the over 100 people who came to Alamosa Community Center on Thursday to get help paying past due or current bills at a PNM Good Neighbor Fund bill assistance event.

There, PNM representatives helped her get $170 toward a past due bill. While that didn't cover her entire past due balance, Muller called it a "huge blessing" and said she is still thankful for any help.

Leticia DeCarolis and her 14-year-old son also live on a fixed income through her disability. DeCarolis also received $170 towards her PNM bill.

“There’s only so much money. I mean, you got to pay other bills as well,” she said.

Established in 1985, the Good Neighbor Fund holds assistance events like this once a month at locations around the state. There, customers can apply in-person for financial help from the fund, which pays for a portion of customers' past due bills.

“The Good Neighbor Fund is all funded through donations from customers, PNM employees, and then the PNM shareholders match all donations,” Ebony Vizcaino, low income outreach project manager for PNM, said. She said eligible customers "have to be considered low income.”

PNM also was host of the Albuquerque Assistance Fair last month at Albuquerque High. PNM said in all, with 45 other agencies involved, it had assisted 2,000 people with not only power bills, but water, food clothing and more.

While PNM's name is attached to the Good Neighbor Fund, it is actually managed by the Rio Grande Food Project, according to Vizcaino.

“It keeps the integrity and makes sure that (PNM) is not just paying our own accounts,” she said. “We want to be good stewards of that money.”

Eligibility for the program depends on monthly household income and the number of residents in the home. For example, a household of four has to make $3,750 or less a month in order to apply for assistance.

Customers who attended Thursday’s event were required to bring their PNM bill, proof of income and identification for everyone living in the home. Food stamps, SNAP benefits and Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program approval letters were accepted as a proof of income.

The $170 that both Muller and DeCarolis received is the maximum amount of money the fund will pay toward a customer's bill. After receiving assistance, Good Neighbor Fund representatives encourage customers who still need help to contact a PNM representative to ask about options for future payment arrangements.

PNM customers are only allowed to apply for financial assistance through the Good Neighbor Fund once a year. Donna and Jose Griego, who are both retired and living off of Social Security, were unable to get assistance for their PNM bill on Thursday, due to already receiving help playing a portion of their electricity bill from the Rio Grande Food Project.

The couple said they will have to rearrange their budget for the rest of the year and plan on applying for assistance next year. They also left with a feeling of gratitude for the help they had received.

"We're happy either way because these things really matter to people like us," Donna said.

That’s a side of customers Alejandro Rodriguez doesn’t get to see very often. Rodriguez and a group of fellow PNM collectors were on hand Thursday to help customers get checked in and seen by Good Neighbor Fund representatives.

This is a far cry from his normal work day of visiting PNM customers who are behind on their bills. As a collector, Rodriguez visits the homes of these customers to either collect their past due payment, or disconnect their homes from service.

Events like Thursday's is a reminder that there are other options besides disconnection. And PNM customers who can't attend a Good Neighbor Fund event in-person can visit pnm.com/assistance to apply for financial help online.

“Just go apply,” Rodriguez said. “You never know what you could get out of it."