Detroiters can now apply for a scaled back version of the city’s popular water affordability program that reduces water bills for low-income residents.
Dubbed Lifeline H2O, the program offers a fixed monthly bill of $34 a month for income-eligible households who don’t have a past due balance. It’s a pared back version of the Detroit Water and Sewerage Department’s Lifeline Plan that launched in 2022 that brought bills down to as low as $18 a month and wiped away debt from overdue bills. That program ran out of most of its money. The revamped program is expected to cover far fewer households than it once did.
The smaller version of the program is for households at or below 200% of the federal poverty level — or $53,300 for a three-person family. Under the plan, enrollees can use up to 6 centrum cubic feet (CCF) of water, or 4,500 gallons per month. If a household uses more water, they’ll be billed at the water department’s regular rates. Applicants must have a DWSD account and a water meter installed and functioning. Their account must also be registered with DWSD’s customer self-service portal, according to a flier sent out to households who were part of the larger program.
The Lifeline Plan had once enrolled nearly 30,000 households but funding for the updated program is expected to cover 5,000. City officials launched the original version of Lifeline as a way to address water affordability and prevent shutoffs. But even at the time, DWSD Director Gary Brown acknowledged the need for a permanent funding source.
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DWSD officials previously told the Free Press money from the state and federal government had run out, leaving $3.5 million from the Great Lakes Water Authority’s (GLWA) WRAP program. That’s a 68% reduction from the roughly $11 million the program had in state and GLWA dollars for the 2025 fiscal year, from Oct. 1 to Sept. 30. WRAP, which stands for Water Residential Assistance Program, is intended to help households reduce past due balances and get water and sewer bill payment help.
Brown told the Free Press last month that the water department was seeking a slice of statewide utility funding approved in the state budget. His department wanted $3 million, of the $5 million allocation, which he said could double the reach of the new Lifeline program. DSWD spokesperson Bryan Peckinpaugh said on Thursday, Nov. 20 the department has been in contact with state officials and is waiting for information on how to apply.
Because of limited funding for Lifeline H2O and to ensure people who were in the old Lifeline have the option to apply to the revamped version, the water department doesn’t plan to do additional outreach aside from the flier left in the mailboxes of households on the previous program. A decade ago, Detroit drew international attention for its shutoff practices, spurring the United Nations to declare that cutting off water for those with a “genuine inability to pay” is a human rights violation.
Meanwhile, state lawmakers have also proposed a water affordability fund.
Water advocates have raised questions and concerns about the enrollment process for the scaled-back version of the program and called for a permanent funding source.
“Detroiters need a program that provides real relief, not one that adds more barriers. Unfortunately, the new Lifeline H2O program will not meet the scale of need faced by families who rely on assistance to maintain access to clean, safe, and affordable water in their homes,” Cecily McClellan, director of water works for We the People of Detroit, said in a statement.
She said the requirement that applicants have no arrears will disqualify Detroiters facing water insecurity, preventing people from applying, and urged the water department to explore ways to achieve long-term and sustainable water affordability.
“We are deeply concerned that most Detroit residents who need this support will not qualify and will ultimately face water shutoffs. We also know that lack of access to water not only strips families of their ability to drink, eat, and bathe, it also poses a serious public-health risk,” McClellan said.
Customers are barred from shutoffs while on the plan and as long as they pay their monthly bill, according to DWSD’s website.
To apply for Lifeline H2O go to lifeline.detroitmi.gov or call 313-435-2055. For more information, visit detroitmi.gov/water. Peckinpaugh said income can be verified within 5 days.