Utility Assistance
Thank you for reaching out to Dakota County Mutual Aid. We know how stressful and scary it can be when you are behind on utilities, facing a shutoff, or already have your service disconnected. We want to help make the next steps as clear as possible.
Dakota County Mutual Aid has very limited funding to directly pay utility bills, but there are several larger assistance programs available.
If you are behind on your utility bills, we recommend doing these things right away:
Contact CAP Agency for Energy Assistance: 651-322-3500
Call your utility company and ask about payment plans and Cold Weather Rule protection
Apply for Dakota County Emergency Assistance: 651-554-5611
Contact 360 Communities: 952-985-5300
CAP Agency and 360 Communities do not ask about immigration status when providing these services.
You do not need to wait to hear back from one program before contacting another.
1. CAP Agency Energy Assistance
CAP Agency's Energy Assistance Program helps eligible households with heating and electric costs.
CAP is not currently expected to receive funding for utility assistance until late October or early November. However, it is still very important to call now and have your application processed. Getting your application completed now can help make sure you are ready when funding becomes available.
If you are behind on your utility bills, do not wait until funding arrives to contact CAP. Apply as soon as possible.
Energy Assistance may pay a portion of your utility bill directly to your utility provider. The amount of assistance depends on your household and circumstances.
Even if Energy Assistance does not cover your entire balance, receiving it may also make you eligible for additional utility assistance programs.
CAP Agency does not ask about immigration status when providing these services.
2. Call your utility company
If you are behind on your bill, have received a shutoff notice, or have already been disconnected, call your utility company directly.
Ask about:
A payment plan
Assistance programs available through the utility company
Reconnection options if your service has already been disconnected
Protection under Minnesota's Cold Weather Rule
Do not assume that you need to pay your entire past-due balance before your service can be protected or reconnected. Depending on your circumstances, you may be able to establish a payment plan.
If you already have a payment plan but your financial situation has changed and you can no longer afford it, call the utility company again. You may be able to have the payment arrangement changed.
3. Dakota County Emergency Assistance
Dakota County Emergency Assistance may be able to help if you are facing a utility shutoff or other immediate utility emergency.
There are different emergency assistance programs depending on your household and circumstances, so we recommend applying and allowing Dakota County to determine which program you may qualify for.
Emergency Assistance has eligibility requirements, and assistance generally needs to resolve the immediate emergency.
Minnesota Cold Weather Rule
Minnesota's Cold Weather Rule provides additional protections from utility disconnection during the heating season, generally from October 1 through April 30. Cold Weather Rule protection is not automatic. You need to contact your utility company and work with them to establish a payment arrangement. The Cold Weather Rule may help if your electricity or natural gas affects the primary heat in your home. Depending on your household income and circumstances, you may be able to establish a payment plan based on what your household can afford.
If your service has already been disconnected, you may still be able to use the Cold Weather Rule to establish a payment plan and have service restored without paying the entire past-due balance at once.
The Cold Weather Rule generally applies to residential electricity and natural gas when those utilities affect your primary source of heat. It does not provide the same protections for delivered fuels such as propane, heating oil, or wood.
4. 360 Communities
360 Communities may be able to help households experiencing a financial crisis, including problems paying utility bills.
They can also help connect eligible households with additional emergency financial assistance.
360 Communities does not ask about immigration status when providing these services.
If you have received a shutoff notice or your utilities have already been disconnected, make sure you tell them when you call.
5. Dakota County Emergency Cash Assistance
Dakota County also has Emergency Cash Assistance of up to $750 within a 12-month period for qualifying emergency needs, including utilities.
You can ask Dakota County or 360 Communities about this assistance and whether you may qualify.
This can be an important option if you have a remaining utility balance or need help resolving an immediate shutoff or disconnection.
Additional help if you still have a balance
If Energy Assistance, Emergency Assistance, Emergency Cash Assistance, or another program pays only part of what you owe, there may be additional resources that can help with the remaining balance.
Energy CENTS Coalition
If you are an Xcel Energy or CenterPoint Energy customer and have already received Energy Assistance, Energy CENTS Coalition may be able to help with a remaining utility balance.
If Energy Assistance does not cover everything you owe, this is an important next resource to try.
HeatShare may provide emergency utility assistance to households that are struggling to pay heating or energy costs.
If you have already tried Energy Assistance and still have a balance you cannot resolve, contact HeatShare to ask whether assistance is currently available.
Salvation Army HeatShare
Having trouble with a shutoff or the Cold Weather Rule?
If you believe your utility company is not following the Cold Weather Rule, you cannot reach an agreement with the utility company, or you are having trouble understanding your rights, contact the Minnesota Public Utilities Commission Consumer Affairs Office.
They can help answer questions about utility shutoffs, reconnection, payment arrangements, and your rights under Minnesota utility rules.
Was your household financially impacted by Metro Surge?
This could include detention or deportation of someone who contributed to household expenses, loss of income related to immigration status, or loss of income because someone was afraid to leave home.
Please let Dakota County Mutual Aid know. We may have additional resources available for some households affected by Metro Surge.
Still need help?
If you have tried the resources that apply to you and still cannot resolve your utility bill, please come back to Dakota County Mutual Aid.
Tell us:
Which utility company you have
How much you currently owe
Whether you have received a shutoff notice
Whether your service has already been disconnected
Which resources you have contacted
What they told you
We can then look more closely at your situation and see whether there are other resources available.
If there is still a gap after other resources have been tried, your case may be referred to our Executive Director for additional review.
If you are having trouble navigating these resources or are not sure what to do next, please reach out. We will do our best to help you find the next step.
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