Hawkeye Reporter

Iowa’s recently-launched Residential Utility Disruption Prevention Program is set to provide households around the state who are struggling in the economic crisis created by restrictions related to COVID-19 some help in meeting their utility bills.

The program, which falls under the Iowa Economic Development Authority (IEDA), will provide eligible households at risk for disconnection up to $2,000 toward paying utility bills for electric, natural gas and water, according to a release from the Office of Gov. Kim Reynolds. To be eligible, households must be at risk for disconnection due to income loss related to the pandemic, and payments will be made directly to the involved utility company.

“We are facing an unprecedented pandemic and from the very beginning the state has made it a priority to provide critical assistance to families, farmers, renters, homeowners and small business owners,” Reynolds said in the release. “For Iowans who lost their job or saw their paycheck shrink as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Residential Utility Disruption Prevention Program will help them keep the power on and their water running.”