Woman battling $13,000 water bill get assistance
Every time Amy Johnson turns on the water, she is thinking about her water bill. It's $13,000. How is that even possible?
"It transferred to me when I bought the house. The owner before and maybe a couple of owners before that one. I guess it all added up. No one ever paid the water bill. So when I bought the house, I got the bill," Johnson explained.
Johnson said she purchased her house in cash. She didn't go through a realtor or have a title company do a search, so she never knew that the massive bill would be waiting for her once she became the owner.
"I didn't find out until I called to have the water turned on," said Johnson. "So I just started calling around trying to get some help and the water department said the best they could do is give me $400 off the bill."
Johnson said things turned around for her when she found out about the new Lifeline Plan program from Detroit Water and Sewage Department distributed through Wayne Metro. It's a new income-based water affordability program.
"They approved me for it, and they said they were just giving me $2000 and I'm like just $2000. I thought it was going to be 13[thousand]. I thought they were going to wipe it away," said Johnson.
While she was happy to get the letter awarding her $2,000 in assistance towards the bill. She was still stressed about the other $11,000 she still owed.
"You know, when I think about it, I become depressed," said Johnson. "But then I think how God works miracles. So I'm just looking for another miracle right now."
We reached out to Wayne Metro to find out if there was any more they could do to help with Johnson's bill. They followed up and said that Detroit Water and Sewage Department will take care the of the remaining balance.
Johnson said while she is grateful for the relief, she thinks about others who may not qualify to get help if they're in the same situation
"The system should be different. You know, when you buy a home, you shouldn't be allowed to take on somebody else's bill. You didn't make the bill," said Johnson. "They should wipe that bill away from it for whoever made the bill or, you know, let that bill follow them. Not make a new owner take on the bill. I don't feel. That's right at all."
She said in the future, she would do things differently to make sure this doesn't happen again.
I'll go to a realtor and let them do all the work and I'll decide on what I know. Everything is okay. A-OK.