A new assistance program is now available for low-income customers of the Wilkinsburg Penn Joint Water Authority.
The program is administered by the nonprofit Dollar Energy Fund, which also administers other utility assistance programs.
“We recognize that some of our customers are facing economic challenges, and it is important to us that they continue to have access to clean, safe water,” water authority board Chairman Denny Simon said in a statement.
“By partnering with Dollar Energy Fund, we are expanding our efforts to provide meaningful support to those who need it most," Simon said.
The authority serves roughly 40,000 customers in more than a dozen eastern suburbs including Wilkinsburg, Penn Hills, Edgewood, Forest Hills, Swissvale, and other nearby communities.
Households must have paid at least $50 on their account in the past three months, and they must owe at least $100 to be eligible, according to the authority. The maximum grant an applicant can receive is $250. Applicants must have a household income at or below 150% of the federal poverty level, or $46,800 annually for a family of four.
Advocacy groups have been pushing the authority for years to set up an assistance program to aid low-income customers. Such programs operated by other water utilities vary widely; municipal authorities that aren’t regulated by the Public Utility Commission, such as WPWJA, are not required to have assistance programs.
The program marks “a significant step toward ensuring that every ratepayer in their service area has access to the safe, reliable, and affordable water they deserve,” said Gabriel Gray, lead organizer of Pittsburgh United’s Our Water campaign, which pushed for the program.
Income guidelines and more information about the program can be found here.
