Attachment 1 Page 1 of 7
Attachment 1: Program Proposal: Housing Utility Assistance Program
Overview
The proposed Housing Utility Assistance Program would partner Community Development - Housing (Housing) with Glendale Water & Power (GWP) to reduce housing-related financial burdens for low-income senior and disabled renter households by subsidizing utility costs. The program builds on GWP’s existing Glendale Care discount program, providing additional financial support to vulnerable tenants not currently assisted by federal or deed-restricted housing programs.
Program Options
The proposed program would provide funding to expand or supplement Glendale Water & Power’s existing Glendale Care utility discount program, with an option on reaching renter households who are not currently eligible under GWP’s existing guidelines.
The program may be implemented in one or more of the following ways:
•Targeted New Group Assistance
Create a new benefit tier exclusively for renter populations identified by the City as high-need and currently underserved, such as:
oSeniors aged 62+ living in unsubsidized multifamily rental housing oPersons with disabilities
oTenants who are extremely or very low-income
•Expand Participation
Funding may be used to increase the total number of households GWP can serve, raising the participation cap (e.g., from 12,000 to 13,000 households annually).
•Increase Assistance Levels
Funding may also be directed toward enhancing the level of assistance for existing GWP Glendale Care participants. Council could choose to increase the monthly bill credit for all participants (e.g., from $35 to $55 or another amount), or alternatively, target only the most financially vulnerable households within the 12,000 participants currently served. For example, Council may choose to provide the increased benefit only to seniors, persons with disabilities, or households with the highest energy burdens.
Attachment 1 Page 2 of 7
This targeted approach would reduce overall program cost while directing additional support to residents with the greatest need. For instance, an across-the-board increase of $50 per household for 12,000 participants would cost approximately $1.8 million over three bills (12,000 × $50 × 3 bills), whereas targeting a smaller subset, such as 3,000 high-need households, would cost $450,000 over the same period.
•Arrears Assistance for Renters with Past-Due GWP Bills: In-lieu of or in addition to monthly bill discounts, Council may consider directing a portion of funds toward arrears assistance for qualified renters who are behind on their GWP bills. This one-time support could help prevent utility shutoffs, stabilize vulnerable households, and reduce barriers to ongoing participation in programs like Glendale Care.
All participants would be required to provide proof of income and residency. The application process would be administered by GWP, with support from Housing staff as needed. Applications would be available online or in paper format, and assistance would be awarded on a first-come, first-served basis while funds remain available. If funded through LACAHSA, documentation and eligibility verification requirements may differ from current Glendale Care standards, and the program may need to be adjusted to comply with those guidelines once finalized.
While Council may support general program enhancements through GWP’s existing Glendale Care structure, the following sections focus on the development of a Targeted New Group Assistance model. This option would allow Council to define its own eligibility criteria and provide utility bill support to renter households who are not currently served by existing programs. Details provided below include potential program structure, cost scenarios, and other considerations for Council.
Program Goals
Based on Council’s direction to prioritize support for vulnerable populations such as seniors and persons with disabilities, the Housing Utility Assistance Program is designed to reduce housing-related financial pressures and promote stability for low- income renter households. The program aims to achieve the following goals:
• Offset utility costs to reduce overall housing cost burden • Support aging in place for seniors on fixed incomes
• Stabilize rent-burdened tenants not covered by other assistance programs Target Population
Attachment 1 Page 3 of 7
The program can be designed to serve:
• Seniors aged 62 and older
• Persons with disabilities
• Glendale residents living in multifamily rental housing • Households classified as Very Low or Extremely Low Income per HUD standards
• Households not currently receiving Section 8 or living in deed-restricted affordable housing
Council has flexibility to refine or expand these eligibility criteria as needed. For example, the program could include other vulnerable populations, such as adults with dependent children who have disabilities, or households in specific high-burden neighborhoods.
Alternatively, eligibility could be narrowed to focus exclusively on seniors or persons with disabilities who meet the most stringent income thresholds. This flexibility allows Council to customize the program to address most need and leverage limited funding availability most effectively.
Program Design
The Utility Assistance Program can be structured in three complementary ways, depending on Council’s priorities. Each option offers a different method of supporting low-income renters through Glendale Water & Power (GWP) bill relief:
Targeted New Group Assistance
Council may choose to create a new benefit tier exclusively for renter populations identified as high-need and currently underserved. This could include:
• Seniors aged 62+ living in unsubsidized multifamily rental housing • Persons with disabilities
• Tenants who are extremely or very low-income
Participants would receive a fixed discount (e.g., $35 to $100) on each GWP bill for a defined period, such as up to three billing cycles (approximately six months) if funded through LACAHSA, or longer if funded locally. For context:
• The average multi-family GWP bill is approximately $132/month in FY 2025.
• For low-income households enrolled in Glendale Care, the average bill is about $97/month, and the current $35 monthly discount reduces the bill to approximately $62.
Attachment 1 Page 4 of 7
This new tier could help bridge the affordability gap for vulnerable renters not currently served by existing programs.
Expand Participation
Funding may be used to increase the total number of households that GWP can serve annually, raising the participation cap (e.g., from 12,000 to 13,000 households). This would allow more eligible low-income residents, to access bill assistance without changing the existing benefit structure.
Increase Assistance Levels
Funding can also be directed toward enhancing the level of assistance for existing Glendale Care participants. For example:
• Council could increase the monthly bill credit from $35 to $55 or more for all enrolled households; or
• Alternatively, only the most financially vulnerable households—such as seniors, people with disabilities, or those with the highest energy burdens—could receive the enhanced benefit.
Arrears Assistance
This option would offer one-time payments toward past-due GWP bills for eligible low- income renters, helping to prevent utility shutoffs and housing instability. Assistance could be capped or based on actual arrears and would require proof of financial hardship and tenancy. The program could be run alongside Glendale Care or as a separate track coordinated with Housing staff.
These four program directions can be implemented independently or combined based on available funding and Council goals.
Cost and Scale
The utility assistance program can be scaled to match available funding and policy goals. Council may choose to assist a smaller number of households with a modest benefit or reach more households with a deeper level of support. The following scenarios illustrate how the program could operate at three different levels of scale, low (500 participants), mid (1,500 participants), and high (3,000 participants), using various fixed monthly benefit amounts. These are just examples, Council could choose to assist 5,000 applicants if funding permits. These estimates assume a six-month program duration and a bi-monthly billing cycle. Administrative costs are not included in the figures below but may be minimal if the program is integrated into GWP’s existing operations.
Attachment 1 Page 5 of 7
Scenario Households
Served
Per Bill Benefit Total Benefit (3
Bills)
Estimated
Total Cost
A 500 $35 $105 $52,500
B 500 $50 $150 $75,000
C 500 $100 $300 $150,000
D 1,500 $35 $105 $157,500
E 1,500 $50 $150 $225,000
F 1,500 $100 $300 $450,000
G 3,000 $35 $105 $315,000
H 3,000 $50 $150 $450,000
I 3,000 $100 $300 $900,000
Notes:
• These estimates assume a fixed benefit applied to each GWP bill, issued every two months.
• Actual costs may vary slightly depending on participation levels and administrative needs.
• Administrative costs are not included here
• GWP residential customers are billed every two months. LACAHSA funding limits utility assistance to a six-month period, which effectively translates to three GWP billing cycles
Additional Cost Considerations: Expand Participation & Increase Assistance Levels
If Council chooses to expand participation in the existing Glendale Care program (without creating a new eligibility group), the cost can be estimated using a simple formula: $35 multiplied by the number of new participants, multiplied by six of billing cycles. For reference, Scenarios A, D, and G in the table above reflect estimated costs for serving an additional 500, 1,500, and 3,000 households, respectively, at a $35 benefit level.
For increasing assistance levels for existing Glendale Care participants (currently approximately 12,000 households), costs will depend on the amount of the increase per household. For example, raising the monthly benefit by $50 would result in an estimated cost of:
12,000 households × $50 × 6 bills = $3.6 million
As mentioned earlier, Council may also choose to target a subset of the 12,000 participants, such as seniors or residents with the highest energy burdens. For example, Attachment 1 Page 6 of 7
increasing assistance by $50 for 3,000 high-need households would result in a cost of $900,000 over six months. This approach provides general guidance for scaling funding based on Council’s preferred depth and reach of support.
Program Administration
The Housing Utility Assistance Program would be administered GWP, leveraging its existing infrastructure for application intake, eligibility verification, and billing adjustments. GWP’s current Glendale Care program already has established systems in place to process applications and apply utility discounts directly to customer accounts, which makes it well positioned to manage this benefit with minimal additional administrative overhead.
The Community Development Department would partner with GWP to assist with eligibility coordination, program oversight, and outreach efforts, ensuring that the City’s target populations are effectively reached. Community Development staff could also play a role in refining eligibility criteria, monitoring program data, and reporting outcomes to Council.
Application intake and processing would be handled primarily by GWP staff, using both its online application portal and paper submission methods to ensure accessibility for all applicants, including seniors or those who may lack internet access. Program materials, instructions, and multilingual outreach campaigns could be coordinated jointly by GWP and Community Development to maximize awareness.
Because this program builds on an existing GWP framework, no significant additional staffing is anticipated for a pilot or mid-scale rollout. However, if the program expands to thousands of new households or involves complex eligibility screening, GWP and the Community Development Department may revisit staffing and resource needs to ensure timely processing and customer support.
Funding Source
The Housing Utility Assistance Program would require a dedicated funding source to cover the cost of subsidies, as GWP funds cannot be used for this purpose. GWP’s revenues are restricted therefore cannot legally or feasibly be allocated to provide additional assistance. As a result, any City contribution would need to come from external or local funding sources, such as LACAHSA funds or the City’s General Fund.
LACAHSA Funding
LACAHSA is expected to begin allocating funds in FY 2025–26 for various rental programs of which rent and utility subsidies are allowed. If Council chooses to fund this program through LACAHSA, the assistance structure would need to be temporary, capped at 6 months per participant, as this is the maximum duration allowed under Attachment 1 Page 7 of 7
LACAHSA guidelines. For a utility program, this translates to three GWP billing periods before the assistance ends, unless a new funding source is identified. This limitation means that LACAHSA funding would be best suited for a pilot or time-limited initiative.
City General Fund
Alternatively, Council could choose to fund the program using the City’s General Fund, either as a pilot project or as part of a longer-term utility assistance strategy. Using General Fund dollars would provide greater flexibility in program design, including longer durations of assistance, adjustable benefit levels, and continued support beyond the one-year sunset period mandated by LACAHSA. However, this would require a Council-approved budget allocation and may compete with other City priorities.
Council may also consider a blended approach, using LACAHSA funds to initiate a short-term pilot while evaluating long-term feasibility and transitioning to General Fund support if the program proves successful and meets community needs.
Next Steps
Council direction is requested on whether to move forward with the Housing Utility Assistance Program as one of several program options under consideration. If Council selects this option, key decisions will include:
• Whether to pursue a Targeted New Group Assistance model, expand the existing Glendale Care program, or implement a hybrid approach. • Determining the benefit amount (e.g., $35, $50, $100) and the number of households to assist (e.g., 500, 1,500, 3,000).
• Selecting the funding source (LACAHSA, General Fund, or both), and whether to begin with a pilot program before expanding. • Adjusting eligibility criteria (e.g., age, disability status, or other vulnerable groups) to ensure alignment with Council priorities.