LOC News
Low-Income Household Water Assistance (LIHWA) Program Prepares to Launch in Oregon
Oregon Housing and Community Services (OHCS) recently shared an update on the Low-Income Household Water Assistance (LIHWA) Program. LIHWA is a new federal emergency water and wastewater assistance program, established and funded through the 2021 Consolidated Appropriations Act (CAA) and the 2021 American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA). The program is designed to provide low-income households with assistance for paying drinking water and wastewater utilities. Households who are at or below 60% State Median Income (SMI) will be eligible for the program.
Oregon received $13.8 million for ratepayer assistance for low-income households. OHCS will be distributing funds for the state in partnership with the Community Action Agency (CAA) network and water utilities. The program is designed so that ratepayers will apply to their local CAA for assistance. The CAA will determine eligibility and payment amount and then make direct payments to the utility on behalf of the ratepayer.
Of importance to municipal water providers: OHCS has developed a vendor agreement for utilities to sign on as official participants in the LIHWA program. The agreement will enable utilities to share ratepayer arrearage information with the CAAs and enable CAAs to submit payments to the utilities on behalf of ratepayers. A Draft Vendor Agreement is available on the OHCS website. Please review and contact the LOC with any questions or concerns as soon as possible. OHCS will be launching the LIHWA program later this fall.
OHCS is in the final stages of developing the LIHWA program for Oregon. A recording of their recent webinar update is available online and full program details are available on the LIHWA website.
Contact: Michael Martin, LOC Lobbyist – mmartin@orcities.org
Last Updated 10/1/21