Utility and Water Assistance
Water Affordability Program is a temporary emergency program to help low-income households pay overdue water and wastewater bills. Michigan received emergency funding from Congress to administer this program. This program is available to low-income homeowners or renters. Funding is administered through MDHHS to Community Action Agencies (CAAs) statewide until September 30, 2027, unless depleted prior to that date.
Allowable Services:
• Restoring residential water and/or wastewater service.
• Paying down water bills currently in arrears.
• Protecting participating residents from water and/or wastewater shutoffs.
The maximum payout amount or household cap, is $3,000 per fiscal year household.
• Supporting reasonable water affordability plans that are based on an individual’s ability to pay, including capped payments based on household income to prevent accumulating a balance on future water bills and funding to qualified providers to cover the remaining cost of service.
Eligibility:
Qualified water bill account holders must:
• Be a residential account.
• Be in arrears or disconnect status.
• Be under 200% federal Poverty Level and/or actively receiving Family Independence Program/Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (FIP/TANF), Food Assistance Program/Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (FAP/SNAP), State Emergency Relief (SER), Social Security Supplemental Income (SSI).
Center Locations and Phone Numbers
This website is supported by Grant Number 05CH012876 from the Office of Head Start within the Administration for Children and Families, a division of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Neither the Administration for Children and Families nor any of its components operate, control, are responsible for, or necessarily endorse this website (including, without limitation, its content, technical infrastructure, and policies, and any services or tools provided). The opinions, findings, conclusions, and recommendations expressed are those of MDS Community Action Agency and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Administration for Children and Families and the Office of Head Start.