Low Income Household Water Assistance Program-State of New Jersey (LIHWAP)

Application period is now open for the LIHWAP:

https://www.nj.gov/governor/news/news/562022/20220302b.shtml

The LIHWAP program, which is funded by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, will provide benefits directly to water and wastewater companies on behalf of residential customers. The assistance can be used, in order of priority to:

*Restore services where serves have been terminated and pay reconnection fees and other charges accrued due to a disconnection.

*Avoid service disruption for those residential customers who are in danger of disconnection (i.e., received shut off notices or have past due balances) and to help them afford bill payments going forward and:

*Support those household customers who are current in their bills but might be in danger of falling behind in the near future.

*Priority will also be given to families with elderly or disabled household members and/or with children under the age of five, no matter which category they fall into.

To be eligible for LIHWAP assistance, applicants must be water/wastewater bill holders who are responsible for paying their water and sewer bills directly to the vendors. Also, applicant’s total gross household income must be at or below 60% of the state median income ($6,439 a month for a family of four). The LIHWAP frequently asked questions webpage has additional information about maximum income limits and other items.

Participants in the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) are automatically eligible for LIHWAP assistance as long as they are water/wastewater bill holders. People can apply online through the DCAid application portal:

https://www.nj.gov/governor/news/news/562022/20220302b.shtml

https://njdca-housing.dynamics365portals.us/lihwapfaq

People who do not have access to computers or the internet can call 1-800-510-3102 to be directed to one of the community action agencies to assist them with starting, completing and submitting an application online.

LIHWAP is one of several programs DCA provides to help New Jersey households in need with basic resources such as housing and heating to promote long term physical well-being. The programs include the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP), which is a federal program that helps households at or below 60% of the state median income ($6,439 a month for a family of four) pay for energy costs (electric, gas, deliverable fuels and those included in rent) and the Universal Service Fund (USF) program, which provides a monthly credit on electric and gas bills for households at or below 400% of the federal poverty level ($8,833 a month for a family of four).

Both programs are actively accepting applications and people can apply through DCAid.

DCA offers a wide range of programs and services, including local government management and finance, affordable housing production, fire safety, building safety, community planning and development and disaster recovery and mitigation.

For more information about DCA: https://www.nj.gov/dca/ or follow the Department on Social media.

Please check the above links for assistance.

Disclaimer: This information was sent over the internet from the NJ State Department of Community Affairs, and I give them full credit for this information. Please consult with the attached websites for more information on these programs.