CARE Program Application: Multifamily Affordable Housing and Nonprofit Group Living

The CARE program offers a monthly discount on Hetch Hetchy Power electricity bills for qualifying multifamily housing facilities and nonprofit group living facilities. The current CARE discount is 30% compared to the standard rates applied to the applicant’s account.

How To Apply
  1. Read all the information, including the eligibility criteria for both organizations and facilities, before you complete this application.
  2. Determine if your facility meets all of the definition of a qualified nonprofit group or multifamily  living facility. Complete the entire application, making sure to fill out a separate application for each type of qualified facility.
  3. Attach all required documents; otherwise your application will be considered incomplete. Required documents may include:
    • The facility owner's currently valid Federal 501(c)(3) tax exemption document.
    • The facility's license to provide social service by the appropriate agency (only for group living facilities).

Eligible Facilities
  • Multifamily housing facilities that provide 100% income-qualified tenant units
  • Shelters and hospices that provide lodging, with at least six beds for a minimum of 180 days and/or nights per year
  • Group living facilities, defined as transitional housing, short- or long- term care facilities, group homes for physically or mentally challenged people, or other nonprofit group living facilities

Facilities NOT Eligible
  • Nonprofit facilities that only provide social services
  • Government owned and/or operated facilities 

Eligibility Criteria for Organizations
Each facility MUST meet ALL of the following:
  • Organization operating the facility must be able to prove its Federal 501(c)(3) status.
  • Facility owner's name must match the name on the Federal 501(c)(3) tax exemption.
  • At least 70% of the energy supplied to each SFPUC account, including common use areas, must be used for residential purposes.
  • Organization must verify that all of the facility’s residents and/or households, at any given time, meet the current CARE income eligibility guidelines. NOTE: This excludes any employee operating or managing the facility who lives on the premises. Please see the current CARE income guideline, below.
  • Organization is required to renew its CARE eligibility by completing a new application every three years, attaching all required documentation (updated as necessary), and providing an explanation as to how the CARE discount was previously used to directly benefit its residents.

Organization's Responsibilities
As the applicant, your organization is required to:
  • Provide proof of the facility’s eligibility (see Eligible Facilities), and submit required documentation with their CARE application.
  • Verify that all of your facility’s residents and/or households, at any given time, meet the current CARE income guidelines and make a certification to that effect, under the penalty of perjury, under the laws of the state of California.
  • Maintain records of your residents’ income eligibility, as demonstrated by Federal tax returns payroll stubs or similar records acceptable to SFPUC. These records must be retained for 3 years from the date of the initial CARE application and/or renewal.
  • Show at renewal how CARE discount directly benefited your residents.
  • Maintain accounting entries and supporting documentation that demonstrates how CARE discount directly benefited your residents. These records must be retained for 3 years from the date of the initial CARE application and/or renewal.
  • Upon request from SFPUC, provide documentation for your residents’ income eligibility and/or documentation that show how the CARE discounts directly benefited the residents.
  • Provide all information requested by SFPUC. Failure to do so will result in denial or removal from the CARE Program. In addition, your organization may be subject to rebilling for the period it was ineligible for the discount, as determined by SFPUC.

CARE Income Guidelines

Combine all household members' incomes from all eligible sources to get your total household gross annual income. The total combined gross income must be at or below the amount shown in the table, per guidelines of 7/1/2025.  

Please complete all sections of this application. If you quality, your CARE discount will appear on the first page of your SFPUC bill. Email hhpower@sfwater.org if you have any questions. 
1) Your Organization and Facility












2) Facility Information






3) Your SFPUC Facility Account








3) Your SFPUC Facility Account(s)
Only complete this section if you are applying for more than one SFPUC account. 








3) Your SFPUC Facility Account(s)
Only complete this section if you are applying for more than one SFPUC account. 








4) Required Documents


5) Your Declaration
CARE Program Terms and Conditions:
  1. The information I have provided here is true and correct.
  2. The organization is a SFPUC customer of record.
  3. All of the facility’s residents and/or households meet the CARE income guidelines, and documentation is available to substantiate this statement.
  4. Each SFPUC account meets the 70% residential energy usage criteria as described on this application.
  5. I will renew our organization’s eligibility at least every 3 years and notify SFPUC of any changes that may affect our CARE eligibility.
  6. SFPUC reserves the right to request verification of records demonstrating eligibility at any time and may rebill the organization at the applicable rate, if appropriate.
  7. I understand that SFPUC may share our facility’s name and address with municipal, state or federal agencies, and/or other utilities or their agents, for the sole purpose of facilitating enrolment in their assistance programs.





Contact Information