Detroiters enrolled in a program that brings down their water bill to as low as $18 a month and wipes away water debt, must verify they are income eligible starting Oct.1 to remain on the plan.
More than 25,000 households are currently part of the City of Detroit’s Lifeline Plan. The Detroit Water and Sewerage Department (DWSD) notified those customers via mail that their benefits will expire on Oct. 1 and that they must re-certify and re-enroll in the program each year. The department said it is currently not removing residents from the Lifeline Plan, according to DWSD Public Affairs Director Bryan Peckinpaugh, but households must contact the Wayne Metropolitan Community Action Agency, which is administering the program, to stay on the plan.
“As long as they contact Wayne Metro on or after Oct. 1, they will remain enrolled and protected from shutoff,” said Peckinpaugh in an email to the Detroit Free Press last week. The Wayne Metropolitan agency is taking advance requests but won’t be able to process them until next month, he said.
Here’s what to know:
What the water program offers
The program, which launched in 2022, offers residents fixed monthly rates from $18 to $56 and removes past water debt, based on a household’s income and water use. The $18-a-month tier is available for families at 135% of the federal poverty level, or a family of three making up to $34,857 a year. Nearly 22,000 households — the majority of enrollees — pay $18, according to a DWSD dashboard online. The next highest payment plan, offering water bills at $43 a month, is for three-person households making $38,730 or less. The last tier, at $56 a month, caps income at $51,640 for three people in a home.
Lifeline Plan enrollees account for 11% of DWSD’s 225,000 overall residential household customers, Peckinpaugh said.
Why customers must re-enroll
This recertification process is required by the state of Michigan as a funder of the program, Peckinpaugh said. The Lifeline Plan is currently funded with a $7 million state budget allocation and $5 million in regional Water Residential Assistance Program (WRAP) dollars, according to DWSD. WRAP is funded from the Great Lakes Water Authority.
How to begin
Water customers in the Lifeline Plan can start the recertification process by notifying the Wayne Metropolitan agency via phone or through an online form. The agency will then open up recertification on Oct. 1, Peckinpaugh said. The recertification process coincides with the state’s new budget year, which starts next month, he added.
Peckinpaugh said there is no hard deadline before residents are taken off the Lifeline Plan for not recertifying but enrolled households need to “indicate their request to recertify on or after Oct. 1.”
“We will give all enrolled households sufficient time to recertify due to the volume of enrollees,” he said, adding that DWSD is not announcing a deadline at this time.
Who should contact Wayne Metro?
The requirement to enroll again applies to customers who are already in the Lifeline Plan and not new enrollees with pending applications or those who apply for the first time after Oct. 1.
This is the first recertification process for the Lifeline Plan so the water department and the Wayne Metropolitan agency won’t currently remove households, to allow time for the process, he said.
However, if a Lifeline Plan customer has missed more than two monthly payments, he or she may be at risk of getting kicked out of the program and face water shut off, if he or she doesn’t reach out to the Wayne Metropolitan agency for assistance or to resolve the missed payments, according to DWSD.
What about customers who aren’t eligible?
Customers who no longer meet the income requirements for the Lifeline Plan can apply for EasyPay, a new DWSD program for Detroit residents, nonprofits and businesses behind on their water bills. The EasyPay Plan is interest and penalty free. The program does not have income restrictions. Customers can enroll by putting down a $10 deposit, then paying off the overdue balance over 36 months, on top of the regular bill. The program spares them from a water shut-off as long as they make payments.
How to re-enroll
To begin the recertification process in the Lifeline Plan, call the Wayne Metropolitan agency at 313-388-9799 or fill out the following Google form (which requires a Google email account): bit.ly/LifelineWayneMetro. This is for customers to show that they intend to recertify for the program. Email wmuniversalapplication@waynemetro.org with questions. As part of the re-enrollment process, households must be prepared to show proof of household income and any changes to their household size, according to a mailer sent out to customers.
The water department said it is also doing outreach at community meetings. Outreach will continue into October.