Rising living costs impact participants of Detroit's Lifeline Plan
(CBS DETROIT) – For almost a year now, the city of Detroit has been helping those struggling to pay their water bill.
The Detroit Water and Sewerage Department's Lifeline Program offers customers a monthly rate based on their income, but some need to catch up in making those payments.
According to DWSD, about 49,000 low-income households in Detroit still need to pay their water bill.
They've likely received a visit from a DWSD representative letting them know about the Lifeline Program that wipes out their past-due balance.
At Wayne Metro Community Action Agency, more and more people are asking about the City of Detroit's Lifeline plan.
Those eligible receive an affordable fixed bill based on their household income and size.
Since DWSD launched it last summer, 15,000 Detroiters have enrolled in the program, and about 85% of them are paying $18 a month.
"No one needs to be in poverty. No one wants to be in poverty," Shama Mounzer, Executive Director of Empowerment and Integration Services at Wayne Metro Community Action Agency, said.
Before the Lifeline program, around 30 to 40 percent of Wayne Metro's clients were unable to pay their bills, according to Mounzer. It's gone down to 16%.
"There's the increase in the cost of living that's also affecting our residents, and oftentimes you see them choosing between paying the water bill or buying food for their kids," Mounzer said.
The agency plans to send reminders to clients in the program who need to catch up on payments through text messages, emails and calls.
" If we're not educating them and assisting them on the importance of maintaining a good payment history, we're not really helping them. I don't see a lot of clients being removed from the program if they're not paying their bills because, again, the intensive case management model that we're putting in place and blending some funding sources to assist them with the missed payments will assist them in remaining in the program," Mounzer said.
DWSD director, Gary Brown, told CBS News Detroit his department is not rushing to shut off the water of their neediest customers but is encouraging them to get help.
"So we want to intervene early. We don't want this to go on for a year or two before we take action. And so the action is, let's find out what's going on with that family and then offer them additional services to get them back on track. And, um, I'm confident that they will be back on track and that we will get our collection rate up to about a 95% collection rate very quickly," Brown said.
If you're eligible and want to apply for the Lifeline Program, call Wayne Metro at 313-386-9727 or apply online at waynemetro.org/DWSDlifeline.
If you are not low-income and cannot pay your balance, contact DWSD online or call them at 313-267-8000 to enroll in a payment plan.