New Partnership with 211 Enhances Support and Access to Resources During Periods of Critical Need Including Public Safety Power Shutoffs
September 29 2021 - 4:00PM
Business Wire
PG&E and Southern California Edison
Announce Joint Agreement to Expand the Free, Confidential Service
Available to PG&E Customers 24/7
With September being National Preparedness Month, Pacific Gas
and Electric Company (PG&E) and Southern California Edison
(SCE) announce a joint agreement with the 211 California Network,
which will provide emergency preparedness support for customers
during Public Safety Power Shutoffs (PSPS).
211 will serve as the network’s operator, directly connecting
customers to local community-based organizations who provide
assistance with transportation and shelter needs, portable backup
power, home meal delivery, food replacement, bill assistance
programs, and support for those who may have physical, intellectual
or developmental disabilities. The service will be available to
customers 24 hours-per-day during PSPS events, which occur when
power is shut off temporarily to avoid the risk of catastrophic
wildfires.
Through the 211 California Network, customers of California’s
two largest utility companies will have the ability to call or text
211 during PSPS events to facilitate connections with local
resources. The new agreement with 211 includes outreach to Access
and Functional Need (AFN) populations, including those with
physical, developmental or intellectual disabilities, chronic
conditions or injuries, limited English proficiency, older adults,
children, pregnant women and low income, homeless and/or
transportation disadvantaged individuals.
“It is our commitment to not only identify and connect with
members of the AFN community who we serve, but to provide
information to help them plan for emergency situations and to
facilitate access to resources that can help them navigate through
challenging situations,” said Marlene Santos, PG&E executive
vice president and chief customer officer.
When not aiding during PSPS, 211 will focus on outreach to
at-risk customers, including those living in high-fire-risk areas
who are eligible for income-qualified assistance programs and rely
on life-sustaining medical equipment. The focus during these
periods will be to evaluate these customers’ resiliency plans,
connect them with existing programs that can help them prepare for
outages and to assist them in completing applications for these
programs.
“The 211 California Network is a powerful resource that
considers all of our diverse customers’ unique needs,” said Jill
Anderson, senior vice president of customer service for SCE. “For
customers at risk of PSPS, particularly those with access and
functional needs, 211 offers a toolkit that considers each customer
holistically and helps to tailor a resiliency plan that works for
them.”
The agreement with 211 will provide opportunities for customers
throughout the state to have enhanced information awareness and
resource availability. By expanding the 211 California Network,
some community resources that were previously available in only
select areas may now be accessible to those who they would have
otherwise been unavailable to.
“The 211 California Network is excited to work with the utility
companies to provide additional support to their customers,” said
Interface 211 Community Information Officer, Kelly Brown. “This
partnership with SCE and PG&E will expand our ability to
connect customers to critical resources before, during, and after
Public Safety Power Shutoffs.”
To get connected and get help through the free, confidential
referral hotline, dial 2-1-1. Customers can also log onto 211.org
for more information. 211 is available 24/7 in more than 300
languages.
About 211
With 24-7 availability from trained specialists and a dedicated
resource management team, 211 is a powerful resource for
households. The 211 California Network is comprised of 13 contact
centers throughout the state working together to connect the
community to all available health and social service resources.
About Southern California Edison
An Edison International (NYSE: EIX) company, Southern California
Edison is one of the nation’s largest electric utilities, serving a
population of approximately 15 million via 5 million customer
accounts in a 50,000-square-mile service area within Central,
Coastal and Southern California.
About PG&E
Pacific Gas and Electric Company, a subsidiary of PG&E
Corporation (NYSE:PCG), is a combined natural gas and electric
utility serving more than 16 million people across 70,000 square
miles in Northern and Central California. For more information,
visit pge.com and pge.com/news.
View source
version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210929005856/en/
MEDIA RELATIONS: 415-973-5930
PG&E (NYSE:PCG)
Historical Stock Chart
From Mar 2024 to Apr 2024
PG&E (NYSE:PCG)
Historical Stock Chart
From Apr 2023 to Apr 2024