In the month since Mayor Greg Nickels announced changes to the city’s low-income utility rate assistance program, nearly 3,500 people have applied. New income eligibility requirements allow more people to participate in the program that cuts their electric, water, sewer and garbage bills in half for up to 18 months.

“This simple change is helping thousands of people with their utility bills during these difficult times,” said Nickels.

Seattle City Light and Seattle Public Utilities now base eligibility on a single standard - 70 percent of the state median income. For a family of four this translates to an annual income of $53,124 or less.

Previously there were different standards for low income residents, senior citizens and the disabled.

So far in 2009, about 7,000 people have applied for the assistance program. That compares to a total of 14,654 applicants in 2008 and 12,072 in 2007. The Mayor’s Office for Senior Citizens, which administers the rate-reduction program, is now receiving an average of 175 utility assistance requests a day - more than twice the number of calls fielded before the change.

Residents can find out where and how to apply for utility assistance and other benefits by calling (206) 684-0268, or by going to: http://www.peoplepoint.info/.