2010 Low Income Initiative Progress Report

2009 Commitments and Progress

The following are some of the specific actions Entergy took in 2009 to help our customers.

Keeping the assistance flowing.

While there are many sources of aid available to needy families in our region, no single one helps everyone. Here are some examples of initiatives Entergy's Low-Income Champions have undertaken to assure as many people are helped as possible.

• maintaining and increasing LIHEAP funding;

• capitalizing on advanced technology-enabled services to improve LIHEAP fund processing and distribution;

• continuing to push for statewide assistance funds where appropriate;

• introducing new The Power to Care fundraising campaigns; and

• improving our internal processes to handle assistance payments.

Partnering with customers who can help themselves.

Entergy provided customers with tools to help manage their bills in 2009 by:

• increasing customer and agency awareness of billing options and printed and Web-based energy-efficiency educational tools;

• expanding access for nonprofit agencies to funding sources through GrantStation;

• engaging more employees in volunteer efforts;

• continuing to award grants to innovative nonprofit partners;

• improving the flow of information through Entergy's website and other communications channels; and

• developing new partnerships to provide case management support to customers in greatest need of all types of financial assistance.

Moving out from poverty.

To help more low-income customers move to self-sufficiency, Entergy is:

• seeking new resources, legislation and partners to expand asset-building programs;

• gaining insight on community-based and workforce-development programs to help break the cycle of poverty; and

• helping our advocates and partners prepare for future challenges affected by potential climate-change legislation.

All other duties as required.

Entergy's focus is on helping customers afford their electric service through safe, healthy and energy efficient measures. But sometimes our customers' needs are as basic as food, clothing and shelter.

Entergy works in the communities it serves to fulfill their needs, whatever they may be. In 2005, when hurricanes Katrina and Rita ripped through Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas, Entergy raised funds, held clothing and food drives, and reconnected power to customers affected by the storms. In 2009 when the economic recession affected us all, Entergy faced it with an eye on customers just as much at risk of losing their homes due to lost jobs as to hurricane-force winds.

Entergy works to improve the lives of customers however they need it. Here are some of the ways Entergy reached out in 2009:

• Entergy Louisiana worked with the STB Project to rebuild its 175th home after Hurricane Katrina's destruction. A 24-hour build, the project was featured during MTV's Youth Inaugural Ball.
• Entergy Mississippi also took hammers in hands for the 2009 Habitat for Humanity Blitz Build in November, and in December, Entergy Mississippi and Entergy Nuclear sponsored and volunteered for the 11th Annual Habitat for Humanity Blitz Build, which builds a home from the ground up in one week for a qualified family. About 85 Entergy volunteers and their families participated, and according to the Habitat for Humanity staff, the home's exterior siding was nailed to its frame in one day, which has only happened five times in 19 years of building more than 400 homes.
• Entergy Louisiana, along with the Louisiana State University Agriculture Center, sponsored a summit to educate agencies on predatory lending practices targeting elderly and low-income people as well as those with bad credit.
• Entergy Mississippi is working with the Jackson Housing Authority and Duvall Decker Architects to develop an innovative affordable housing project, which includes new construction of two-story loft and courtyard homes funded by Housing and Urban Development (HUD) money. Solar panels and net metering provided by Smart Sync will be included to lower utility costs for residents, making this project a national model for the future of affordable housing construction.
• Entergy Mississippi presented a $5,000 grant to the Salvation Army to provide scholarships to low-income children from Mississippi to attend a regional camp in Lexington.
• Entergy Texas presented a total of $128,000 in Entergy Hurricane Relief Fund checks, and the company also provided a $12,000 grant to the South East Texas Regional Planning Commission to support its campaign promoting the benefits of 2-1-1, a service of the Health and Human Service Commission's Texas Information and Referral Network providing information on food, shelter, rent assistance, utility bill assistance, counseling, child care, after-school programs, senior services and disaster relief.
• Entergy Mississippi took customer assistance out to the ball game in July when linemen, engineers, call center representatives and other Entergy employees volunteered at the Salvation Army's Night at the Mississippi Braves. The company's team members took tickets and accepted contributions from a crowd of more than 5,000 fans before the volunteers presented a $98,193 check representing matching funds for The Power to Care to Salvation Army officials.
• Entergy Texas collected blankets in January and delivered them to the Tangipahoa Council on Aging as well as the St. John and St. James Departments of Health and Human Services for local residents.
• Entergy Texas and the Pew Center partnered in October to launch the Make an Impact website in Beaumont. The event encouraged lifestyles to minimize greenhouse gas emissions.
• Entergy New Orleans distributed compact fluorescent lights and energy efficiency/weatherization information at the Homeownership Fair/Freret Market/Kid's Fest in April. A program of the Neighborhood Housing Services of New Orleans, Inc. (NHS), a local nonprofit celebrating more than 30 years of assisting homeowners, the fair provides comprehensive services for first-time homebuyers as well as existing homeowners through counseling, classroom training, loan packaging and construction management services.
• Entergy Arkansas customers qualified for $144,550 in emergency federal funds during two one-day-only events, co-sponsored by Entergy with the Central Arkansas Development Council and Arkansas Community Action Agencies Association (ACAAA). The events were designed to help qualified families navigate the application process. Entergy Arkansas staff helped with real-time billing information.