Payment Assistance

Share the Light and SMILE are local non-profits that assist Lafayette residents when they are having trouble making payments or covering the cost of their bills. If you are having trouble making payments, the local non-profit and community action agency below can help.

SHARE THE LIGHT

Share the Light is an LUS customer-funded program where a donation is made on their electric, water, or wastewater bill to add $1 or more which is put into a fund to assist other LUS customers who might need assistance with their utility bill.

LUS’s Share the Light program is administered through Catholic Charities of Acadiana, Inc.  Interested participants are interviewed by the staff to determine eligibility. Approved applicants can receive from $10 to a maximum of $300 per household, based on their needs. Share the light assistance can be applied toward a customer’s deposit but cannot be applied to closed customer accounts.

Due to the overwhelming need, financial assistance can be granted only once every 12 months.

The following is an explanation of the process to determine eligibility for Share the Light. Applicants must have:

• Current picture I.D. or driver’s license
• Current month’s LUS bill
• Proof of income (last two check stubs or record of state benefits) – OR –
• Written proof of unexpected emergency or crisis where the applicant had to use funds to offset said emergency “such as hospital bill, medication bill, repair or replacement of major appliance or car repair.” Letterhead receipts are required unless not possible. Only a bill of $40 or more is considered for proof of crisis.

To contact Catholic Charities of Acadiana, Inc., please call (337) 235-4972.

SMILE

State and federal assistance can be obtained through the SMILE Community Action Agency. For more information, contact SMILE at (337) 232-6810.