I must agree with the ones taking about there were only Hispanics in there. They are rude,don't speak a bit of english, only help their people first ,take too long to actually start the payment saying it takes 2-3mths to start payment ,which by then your bill is already 300.00. People need to look closely at who they hire at these places. Trying to always save a buck by hiring illegals we get what we pay for and my family didn't pay taxes for most people need think twice before they hire them. Even in any job industry they only hire their people like nobody else want to work. If we all stick togather and and record and video these situations and send it to the news stations so they can see how predjuce they are aganist Americans we can rid them all out of the workforce and only hire the legal ones and the ones that don't take advantage of the system and stop treating the Americans like we owe them something. Like I said we get what we pay for.

I was left in tears during my last visit to the San Diego
CUI office downtown.
I called to ask that an application form be mailed to me as it is difficult for me to get out...you know how hard it is to actually reach someone on the phone ther.

They finally answered the phone and told me to just come in person and they will fill out the form with me there.
This was very difficult but I agreed.

When I got to my appointment the office was empty...except for two workers. I was late by less than 5 minutes because it was difficult to walk from my parking spot (only street parking) and the workers told me they couldn't help me because I was late.
Though there was not one single other client in the office
they would not help me.

So I asked if they could please just give me the application
and I would fill it out at home.
They refused to give it to me!
They said I would need to request that by phone!!!!!!
I told them that I already had done that...
they then told me that if I didn't leave the premessis than
they would call the police. I was NOT being threatening.

I cried and cried. I felt like a sub-human. I felt like they spit on me. When I called a supervisor at another office they told me they were not responsible for CUI behavior and could not help.

So, I have gone without medically necessary A.C. and heating and other energy needs because I was unable to get through on many levels. What is wrong with this situation?

Someone needs to give this contract to a different organization since I think there is something really strange happening at this office. Nobody seems to be getting help
and there are paid workers who deliberately make things more difficult than need be.

Looking at these comments i wonder if its worth the effort to go to this place for ASSISTANCE... Can anyone say if mother goes there with sons bill etc sice he is working furiously all day to pay rent Will that work

How does a taxpayer find out if a household is receiving HEAP and maybe abusing this program by having 1 large window and 1 medium window wide open since January 2009? The home is large and so must be the heating bills. Unfair to people who use and need this program and also the taxpayers.

Be prepared. I called for days, weeks, and when I finally got a hold of them, they said it wasn't my day to call. After all this time, I said "screw it", I'll drive! Got there and waited 45 min past my appt. time, only for them to tell me they needed a copy of my SS#... I don't have it but I know it....."Tough luck" Go home and try to make another appointment....Lucky for me, I cried after being treated like some homeless begger, my husband had a copy of an old SS# card of mine, he was able to fax it.......
NOW 2 hours later....and a lot of humilation! I had to still pull out $$ from my account and pay SDG&E and show a receipt in order for them to help me....4 months later, they finally came through...by then, I had to be late on the rent to keep up with payments until this one come through!!!
Thank you, but jeez.....there isn't a need to treat people like this!!!

... I completely agree with the previus comments... I was I'm desperate need for help and am a single mother who is from here and been working since I was fifteen... I finally was able to get through after several attempts and was asked my whole life story and then put on hold for who knows how long... When the rude girl came back she explained to me that my social security # was already being used to recieve benefits com this agency!!!!... And would not listen to me about how much this man was not me... Finally after going back and forth she set up an appointment and I gathered all of my info and went all the way down there... Had my id, ss card, birth certificate and everything and went through the whole bit and thought I would be recieving the help... Come to find out the didnt do anything and when I asked what happened they said that I had to go to the ss office and get proof that that was my ss#!!??... I could not understand what more I could or should have to do to proofs to them that the illegal alien man that was using my # was not me?. Why can't he prove that to them instead of me???... All and all I never did get anything but the run around:(.... I can't believe that someone who is here illegally has more rights using my ss # than I do???!!.... Grrrrrr...

I agree, dealing w/ this company, is Impossible!!!!!!!

Mondays only to call??? Last year, bc of everyones total incompentence, I didn't recieve the assistance, I should have.
I called East County, was routed to Chula vista, talked to a supervisor, was reassured, papers sent out..
Nothing came..!!! Called again, went thru 2 agencys.. CV and East County, was on the phone, literally for hrs..
getting ZERO help...I never got any paperwork or an appt, NOTHING...
. I had to have my parents help out me out, ...if not for them.. i would have been up a creek!
(I'm disabled).

I HOPE this year, that they will be SCREENING ALL EMPLOYEES!!! INcluding Supervisors/ management!!!
The rudeness of the people who work there was astounding!!! If they didn't like what you were saying or didn't want to deal w/ you.. or know the answer.. some literally hung up on you!!!
I could NOT get any help and the supervisors were just as bad!

I would also like to know why this program is supporting immigrants who can't even speak english and don't have SS
Cards?? Who are ILLEGALS.. ILLEGALS.. what kind of message is this sending out??
It is unfair to AMERICAN CITIZENS, who speak English, Spanish, etc.. to not get help bc we are literally giving away
money to people , who have no right to be in this country..
Not sure if this is the MAAC program , but saw it was in the Neighbor to Neighbor Program..

Why do people who are mainly poor, some too disabled to take a bus, have to meet In person??
Thats also crazy!!

With the internet today, there is absolutely no reason, why one can't send in proof.. or be on a yearly list and every year, recieve something to fill out.. or just do it over the phone!!!

It'd be much easier to verify.. There NEEDS and MUST be some Changes in this PROGRAM!!!!
I really hope there are some kind, caring, intelligent , Compentent people out there, who can Make the
Changes that are so despartly needed.

I'm very very grateful, that we have this sort of program.. but It needs to WORk!!

With heat soo high , right now.. I'm praying that somehow I do get help, this year, that I wasn't able to last year.

Why are there only Hispanics working in this office? The only people that were heard or given any courtesy were Mexicans. This needs to be looked into. I will be doing some research to find out who to contact to formally file a complaint.

LHIEP-San Diego is a joke. For the first time since living on my own, I need assistance paying my bill. That bastard named Alex acts as though this money is coming from his pocket. My landlord doesn't give rent receipts because we pay by check so your check is your receipt. A alot of landlords do this with tenants. One person at LHIEP says a cancelled check is okay, now this bastard Alex says he needs a letter from the landlord and then sets my appointment for the next day. How am I going to get a letter that fast when the landlord lives on the other side of town? The employees at LHIEP are rude on the phone, they cut you off while your talking, not letting you finish a sentence. That's probably the best job they'll ever have so that's why they are all on an ego trip.

I have called 211. It was a non working number. How am I supposed to figure out who to call if the information that is given to me is incorrect?

This service is not intended for a low-income family who is working very hard to put food on their table. I went there for assistance, first time in my life, with all my bills and everything. They did nothing for me. They wanted to know everything, properly if I had given my first born son then everything would be ok.

211 told me to call CUI. I spent 1 1/2 hours trying to get through.
When I finally did, I was given an appt for the next day, at 9am.
Put my last 10.00 in the gas tank, and was at the appt 15 minutes early.
I waiting there for 45 minutes, when I heard the clerks asking each other for my screening paperwork. They found it. Then I was called to the counter and told, "Were sorry, we do not help your zip code." I explained 211 gave me the energy assistance phone number, who sent me to CUI, CUI screened me & told me to come here, and here I was. CUI told me, tough luck and to go home and call Maac # next Monday. My SDGE gets turned off today without an arrangement from CUI or Maac.
This is crazy.

CUI needs to either find more employees to answer their phones...tired of this

47 minutes on the phone waiting for CUI to answer.........................and still waiting. Thank god I don't have anything else to do today. I appreciate the service but for crying-put-loud, this is insane.