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DWSD
extends
moratorium
on
residential
water
shutoffs
through
2022
Announces
intention
to
permanently
end
shutoffs
•
Existing
state,
federal
and
philanthropic
funds
allow
DWSD to
help
residents
maintain
water
service
who do
not have
the
ability
to pay
for two
years
beyond
current
city/state
moratorium;
households
who can
pay
should
continue
to pay
•
City
already
has
spent
$22M in
payment
assistance
and
major
plumbing
repairs
for
several
thousand
residential
households
since
moratorium
began
March 9
•
Dr.
Abdul
El-Sayed
joins
effort
to
identify
long-term
funds;
Detroit
working
with
other
cities
nationally
to call
for
water
affordability
funding
DETROIT
– Today,
Detroit
Water
and
Sewerage
Department
(DWSD)
Director
Gary
Brown
joined
Mayor
Mike
Duggan
to
announce
the
intention
to
permanently
end
water
service
interruptions
in the
city of
Detroit.
Currently,
through
several
available
funding
sources,
water
service
will be
maintained
for
residents
who do
not have
the
ability
to pay
through
at least
2022.
The
highly
successful
program
was
launched
with the
support
of
Governor
Gretchen
Whitmer
last
March.
“My
goal now
is stop
water
shutoffs
to
low-income
Detroiters
once and
for
all,”
Mayor
Duggan
said.
“We have
secured
the
funding
necessary
to
continue
this
effort
through
2022 and
we are
building
a
coalition
to make
this
permanent.”
Governor
Whitmer
said,
“This is
good
news for
Detroiters
across
the
city. I
was
proud to
partner
with
Mayor
Duggan
to end
water
shutoffs
during
the
COVID-19
pandemic,
and am
grateful
for his
leadership
and the
leadership
of the
water
advocacy
community
as they
work to
end
these
shutoffs
once and
for all.
I urge
our
leaders
in
Lansing
to
follow
suit and
pass
Senate
Bill
241, the
Water
Shutoff
Protection
Act, to
protect
Michiganders
across
the
state
from
water
shutoffs
during
the
pandemic.
My
administration
will
continue
working
to
ensure
every
Michigander
can give
their
child a
glass of
water at
the
dinner
table,
and I
look
forward
to
partnering
with
everyone,
from the
Biden
Administration
to state
and
local
government,
to get
it
done.”
Mayor
Duggan
was also
joined
by Dr.
Abdul
El-Sayed
– the
city’s
former
public
health
director
and
water
access
advocate
– to
announce
his
support
for the
effort
and
plans to
work
with the
Duggan
administration
to
locate
new
funding
to
prevent
residential
water
service
interruptions,
for
nonpayment,
on a
permanent
basis.
Dr.
El-Sayed
said,
“Water
is
public
health.
And, as
a former
city
health
director
and
water
rights
advocate,
I am
proud to
join
Mayor
Duggan
today as
he
announces
the
city’s
intention
to end
residential
water
shutoffs
permanently.
This is
a
victory
for the
city,
it’s
residents,
and the
advocates
who’ve
been
leading
on this
effort
for
years.
And to
achieve
it,
we’re
going to
need to
align
advocates
with
state
and
federal
lawmakers
and City
leadership
to find
the
funds.
All of
us
against
water
shutoffs.”
Service
restored
at 1,300
homes
since
March 9.
DWSD
Director
Gary
Brown
noted
that the
COVID-19
Water
Restart
Plan,
launched
on March
9, has
restored
water
service
at
nearly
1,300
occupied
homes,
many of
which
needed
plumbing
repairs.
The City
has set
aside
sufficient
state,
federal,
private,
and
local
funds to
continue
the
moratorium
on water
service
interruptions
even
after
the
health
departments
orders
end on
December
31.
Since
the
COVID-19
pandemic
began,
DWSD has
helped
thousands
of
financially
insecure
households
with
water
bills
and
emergency
plumbing
repairs.
By the
end of
December,
$22
Million
is
expected
to be
spent,
$15
Million
of which
has been
for bill
credits
to
nearly
50,000
Detroit
households.
DWSD has
227,000
active
residential
accounts.
“The
water
shutoff
moratoriums
issued
by
health
departments
end in
23
days,”
said
Director
Brown.
“We have
chosen
to
ensure
that
residential
households
that do
not have
the
ability
to pay
have the
resources
for help
and
maintain
service
through
at least
2022
while we
work on
permanent
water
affordability
solutions
at the
state
and
federal
levels.
The
infrastructure
is in
place
through
DWSD and
our
community
partners
to
continue
to
provide
compassionate
and
effective
customer
affordability
programs
to
financially
insecure
Detroit
households,
now and
through
the
implementation
of
long-term
solutions.”
Coalition
committed
to find
a
permanent
solution
to
prevent
water
shutoffs.
The
COVID-19
Water
Restart
Plan,
the
CARES
Act and
Michigan
Senate
Bill 690
provided
temporary
relief
during
the
pandemic.
The next
step is
to work
on a
permanent
solution
for
water
affordability.
Detroit
will be
a leader
at the
state
level
and
nationally.
“The
federal
government
currently
actively
prevents
gas and
electric
shutoffs
of
low-income
Americans
through
the Low
Income
Heating
Assistance
Program
(LIHEAP),”
Mayor
Duggan
said.
“But
there is
no
comparable
program
for
water
bills.
We’re
going to
be part
of a
national
coalition
to
support
the
efforts
of
Senator
Gary
Peters
to
extend
utility
shutoff
support
for
water.”
Detroit
has
joined a
coalition
of
cities
from
around
the
country,
including
Seattle,
San
Francisco,
Philadelphia,
Alexandria,
Baltimore,
Louisville,
Sacramento
and
Washington,
DC to
create a
policy
platform
on
national
water
affordability
initiatives
focusing
primarily
on LIWAP
(Low-Income
Water
Assistance
Program)
and
include
plumbing
repairs.
Affordability
programs
exist in
Detroit
and are
accessible
today.
Customer
affordability
programs
have
been in
existence
since
2016,
with
some
additional
resources
over the
past few
years
from
community
partners.
•
WRAP,
the
Water
Residential
Assistance
Program,
has
helped
more
than
18,000
households
get to
an
average
bill
through
paying
down
arrears,
monthly
bill
credit
and
minor
home
plumbing
repairs.
Now, as
of July
1,
households
earning
at or
below
200% of
the
federal
poverty
level
are
eligible
to apply
– that’s
$52,000
annual
income
for a
family
of four
versus
$36,000
last
year.
This
also
expended
minor
home
plumbing
repairs
to
$1,500
on
average
and
financial
assistance
–
opening
it up to
at least
5,000
more
Detroit
households
annually.
•
More
than $1M
is
uncommitted
in WRAP
funds
through
the end
of this
fiscal
year
ending
June 30,
2021.
• The
Great
Lakes
Water
Authority
board
allocation
for WRAP
is
expected
to be
$9.2M
regionally
through
2022,
with at
least an
additional
$3.8M
earmarked
for
Detroit.
• The
10/30/50
Plan
allows
residents
to
enroll
safely
in the
payment
plan
online
and by
phone.
The
10/30/50
Plan has
unlimited
enrollment
availability
for
households
who need
help
paying
down a
balance
but do
not meet
the WRAP
income
eligibility.
• The
City of
Detroit’s
Community
Health
Corps
will
help
residents
living
in
extreme
poverty
situations
who need
wraparound
services
by
continuing
going
door-to-door.
Contact
DWSD’s
community
partner
to apply
for
assistance.
The
plan
announced
today is
not
payment
amnesty.
Residential
households
will
continue
to
generate
their
full
water
and
sewer
charges
based on
monthly
usage,
and the
drainage
charge,
using
current
rates.
DWSD
plans to
leverage
local,
state,
federal
and
philanthropic
resources
to fill
the gap
to
ensure
residents
who
cannot
pay
today
are able
to
maintain
water
service.
Residential
households
who have
the
ability
to pay
should
continue
to pay
their
monthly
bill to
support
maintaining
and
improving
the
water
and
sewer
systems
for you
and all
of
Detroit.
Detroiters
with low
income
can join
the
program
and
avoid
any
interruption
of
service
by
contacting
Wayne
Metropolitan
Community
Action
Agency
at
313-386-9727
or visit
www.waynemetro.org.
92
percent
of
Detroit
households
regularly
pay
their
water
bills.
DWSD
recognizes
Detroit
residents
who are
making
payments
on a
monthly
basis.
You not
only
support
the
delivering
of clean
water,
safely
collecting
untreated
sewage,
and
enabling
the
modernization
of the
100-year-old
system,
you are
also
allowing
those
residents
facing
income
insecurity
during
these
tough
times to
have
access
to
funding
through
DWSD and
its
community
partners.
Brown
added,
“We
appreciate
our
customers
for
supporting
the
system
and
water
affordability.
We also
want to
thank
the hard
working
DWSD
employees
and
their
families
who have
been
impacted
by this
pandemic.
Many of
our
field
service
technicians
have
been on
the
front
lines
since
the
pandemic
began,
helping
our
customers
resolve
issues
in the
neighborhoods.
Because
of their
commitment,
they
risk
their
own
health
and
their
families’
health
as they
go to
work
every
day to
continue
our
reliable
and
affordable
water
and
sewer
services
in
Detroit
despite
the
pandemic.
We are
grateful
for what
they do
and
thank
each one
and
their
families.”
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