Title
Resolution to Become a Low Income Household Water Assistance Program Partner and Execute the Provider Participation Agreement
Memorandum
Access to safe and affordable drinking water and wastewater services is a fundamental element of health, safety, and well-being for households across America. Yet water affordability is a significant and growing concern in communities across the country, and many communities have faced significant challenges related to water safety, aging water infrastructure, and even water shortages due to drought. Moreover, water affordability concerns and the growing crisis of household indebtedness disproportionately impacting low-income individuals and communities of color can be related to multiple adverse household impacts in terms of service disconnections and lien sales, leading to home foreclosures and evictions.
For many low-income households across America, water affordability needs have been significantly exacerbated by the COVID-19 public health crisis, and while water is required to follow the federal guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) advising washing hands frequently in order to reduce the transmission of Covid-19, the pandemic has made it significantly more difficult for individuals and families to pay their home drinking water and wastewater bills.
While water costs and accessibility vary significantly from state to state, the Low Income Household Water Assistance Program (LIHWAP) provides critical nationwide emergency support on behalf of low-income households so that these households are not forced to choose between paying for water services and other necessities like housing, food, and medicine.
As recommended in Information Memorandum LIHPWAP-IM-2021-02 issued from the US Department of Health and Human Services, agreements are to be put into place between participating parties of the Low Income Household Water Assistance Program (LIHWAP) to ensure payments made on behalf of low-i...
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