Christine Watts was shocked in June when a truck pulled into her yard and threatened to disconnect her hydro. The 51-year-old Cobourg-area woman had no idea she owed $1,100 from an equal-billing underpayment for the past year.

And as a survivor of childhood sexual abuse who lives on provincial disability support and a part-time job at her local library, she had no way to pay.

Community agencies and family helped Watts cover all but $240 of the outstanding bill. But she was still s...