Regional Housing Legal Services

See schedule opulp's program service accomplishments for 2024-2025the pennsylvania utility law project ("pulp") is a statewide legal services project of regional housing legal services and is a member program of the pennsylvania legal aid network (plan). As the designated specialized project of the pennsylvania legal aid network for utility issues, pulp's mission is to secure just and equitable access to utility services for pennsylvanians experiencing poverty.pulp's activities include: representing, as direct counsel or co-counsel, qualifying low-income residential utility customers and consumer groups comprised primarily of low-income pennsylvanians and/or that advocate on behalf of low-income pennsylvanians. Advocating for the interests of low-income utility consumers before the pennsylvania public utility commission, the pennsylvania department of human services, and other state and federal agencies that administer programs or have regulatory oversight on energy or utility matters affecting low-income pennsylvanians. Providing education, information, training, and support to social, legal, and housing service providers; non-profit community groups; low-income consumers; utilities; the regulatory community; and other stakeholders across pennsylvania.key pulp accomplishments:impact litigationin the 2024-2025 fiscal year, pulp handled 47 high impact cases involving complex representation and litigation before the pennsylvania public utility commission. We completed and closed 21 of those cases, and 26 remained in various stages of litigation at the end of the fiscal year. Pulp's impact litigation is focused on improving utility policies and procedures regarding rates, collections, and terminations, and expanding universal service program funding, assistance levels, and accessibility. Through this impact litigation, pulp secured more than $3,000,000 in additional emergency hardship fund grant assistance and leveraged an additional $16.7 million in increased funding for energy efficiency and weatherization assistance, including $2.2 million in ongoing annual investments. Our advocacy also helped to reduce proposed utility rate increases by $584 million annually, saving hundreds of dollars for hundreds of thousands of low income households each year.while difficult to quantify, pulp's impact advocacy resulted in numerous improvements to utility assistance program eligibility and benefits including reduction in the applicable energy burden standards for hundreds of thousands of low income customers across pennsylvania, improvements to enrollment and retention in low income rate assistance programs, and elimination of barriers to enrollment. These program policy reforms will generate hundreds of millions of dollars in added rate relief to pennsylvania's low income consumers. Individual representationpulp handled 424 individual cases through its emergency utility hotline. Pulp achieved substantial success for clients through individual representation leveraging approximately $379,154 in direct financial benefits to our clients through closed cases: prevented termination of service and/or assisted with reconnection in 278 cases. Removed barriers to enrollment in universal service programs in 215 cases. Helped clients to defer approximately $261,936 in utility debt for forgiveness over time. Removed approximately $7,751 in debts from client accounts. Eliminated $5,941 in fees and security deposits associated with reconnection. Obtained $103,526 in direct financial relief through grant assistance, refunds, and reduced debt.pulp also referred 394 low income pennsylvanians to other legal, health, and social service providers, and provided over 44 hours of free pro se assistance to self-represented individuals.training and technical assistancepulp hosted or presented at 53 trainings, reaching 2,941 attorneys, advocates, regulators, policymakers, and utility professionals across all regions of the state. We additionally distributed more than 6,750 pieces of educational material, not including electronic downloads. Notable training events include: 2024-2025 liheap program review- presented our annual liheap program review webinar, partnering with the department of human services and community legal services. We broke our registration and participation record that we set in the 2023-24 year, reaching 564 active participants, with 875 registrants including advocates, attorneys, regulators, and utility professionals. All who registered received access to the recording of the webinar and materials. Defending against utility terminations: a spring primer- pulp partnered with the pa legal aid network and community legal services to provide an overview of how to prevent and assist with client utility terminations. We had 66 attendees and 95 registrants. Chapter 14 sunset: what's next for utility collections, billing, and terminations in 2025- pulp partnered with community legal services, presenting on how the sunset of the chapter 14 statute will impact the work of utility advocates. We had a strong turnout with 108 attendees and 168 registrants. Pennsylvania public utility law conference- pulp served on three panels at the pa bar institute's public utility law conference, focused on electricity, gas, and water affordability issues, reaching nearly 200 utility lawyers and policy makers across the state. Utility rights for tenants: housing equality summit- at the invitation of the pa human rights coalition (phrc), pulp presented to approximately 50 attendees at phrc's housing equality conference on statutes that protect the rights of tenants to maintain utility service to their homes. Impact of access to utilities on patient health and well-being- pulp partnered with tower health, presenting to 50 attending advocates, on the intersection of health and utilities, including discussions about the consequences of energy insecurity and obtaining medical certificates and other protections for households including medically vulnerable people. Addressing utility needs for survivors of domestic violence, voca- partnering with the pa legal aid network, we presented to 74 attending advocates about the available utility protections for those who are survivors of domestic violence, and how to meet the needs of this vulnerable population. National energy and utility affordability conference - pulp presented on three panels at the national energy and utility affordability coalition, reaching well over 300 low income utility advocates from across the country. We presented on community partnerships; the fundamentals of ratemaking for low income advocates, and effective low income utility program design.pulp attorneys and advocates also provided over 1,336 hours of supportive services to legal and social services providers statewide to help resolve pressing utility matters for low income consumers. This was accomplished through direct case consultation, training, and co-counseling.