LIHWAP payments: Pennsylvania residents interested in up to $2,500 for water bills must apply within seven days
Eden Villalovas
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Pennsylvania residents interested in applying for the federal Low Income Household Water Assistance Program, which provides financial assistance to low-income households struggling with their water bills, must do so within one week.
The application period opened on July 10 and will close on Aug. 11, and Pennsylvanians can receive the crisis grant one time. The program is run through the American Rescue Plan Act, and the money is a grant that qualified applicants do not have to pay back.
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Pennsylvanians who are eligible can earn up to $2,500 toward past-due water bills and may see a maximum of $2,500 for their wastewater bill.
To be eligible for the grant, households must have received a notice that their water service will be shut off within the next 60 days, either own or rent their home, and meet a required household income limit.
Pennsylvanians need to submit a number of things when applying: a recent water bill and the names, birth dates, and proof of income of all household members. Once an applicant is approved, the water provider must keep the service turned on for at least 90 days.
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“Every Pennsylvanian has a right to clean drinking water that keeps our homes safe and our families healthy,” Pennsylvania Department of Human Services Secretary Val Arkoosh said in a statement. “I encourage all Pennsylvanians who are at risk of losing drinking water or wastewater services and have not received LIHWAP previously to apply as soon as possible when the program opens.”
Water service customers can head to the Pennsylvania Department of Human Services’s website for more information or call 877-395-8930 to request an application. To apply in person, a paper application must be printed and filled out, and residents can return it to a local county assistance office.