LOW INCOME HOUSEHOLD WATER ASSISTANCE PROGRAM (LIHWAP)

Purpose:
To assist households with low incomes in paying arrearages (past due bills) and rates charged to the household for drinking water and/or wastewater services. The priority is to ensure that households whose services have been disconnected due to non-payment, or are about to be disconnected, are able to have their services restored as quickly as possible.

Legislative Authority:
Sec. 533 of the Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2021 (Division H of the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021), which became law on December 27, 2021 (Public Law 116-260).
Section 2912 of the American Rescue Plan Act, which became law on March 11, 2021 (Public Law 117-2).

Appropriations:
In FY 2021, $1.138 billion ($500 million from American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 and $638 million from Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021)
Eligible Applicants:
States, the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, U.S. territories (America Samoa, Guam, Northern Mariana Islands, and Virgin Islands), and federally and state-recognized tribes and tribal organizations that received FY 2021 Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) grants.

Target Population:
LIHWAP benefits target households with low incomes and that have the highest home water burdens, meaning they pay the greatest proportion (amount) of their income towards their home drinking water and/or wastewater services. Each grant recipient sets eligibility criteria for households, including a household income cutoff that is no more than the greater of 150% of the Federal Poverty Line (FPL) or 60% of State Median Income (SMI).  Households will need to check with the state, territory, or tribe in which they live to confirm eligibility rules in their area.

Uses:
Grant recipients must use LIHWAP funding to:

• pay owners or operators of public water systems or treatment works to reduce arrearages of, and rates charged to, recipient households (approved for a benefit);
• cover the costs that grant recipients incur to administer the program; and,
• cover the costs of outreach and eligibility intake services.

Type of Grant:
Mandatory/Formula Grant, though not a Block Grant.

Program Requirements:
Prospective LIHWAP grant recipients were required to submit the following:

• Designation letters that identify the official who is empowered to administer the grant;
• Signed program Terms and Conditions;
• Signed Standard Form 424M (Standard Application Form for Federal Grant Funds); and
• LIHWAP Plan for administering the program.

LIHWAP Plans received public input at the grant recipient level regarding important program details, such as household eligibility criteria, benefit ranges, and related information.

Households interested in applying for program benefits must contact the agency in the state, territory, or tribe in which the household lives to obtain a program application. Federal program and grant recipient contact information can be found on the LIHWAP website under LIHWAP Contact Information.

FY23 Program Highlights

• $1.1 Billion Funding released
• 3.8M Total Individuals served
• 1.5M Total households served
• $448 Average Benefit Amount
• 924K Prevented disconnections
• 102K Water services restored
• 1.1M Reductions of current water bills
• 17K Total water vendor partnerships formed 

FY23 LIHWAP Participation

• 152 Grant recipients receiving LIHWAP funding
• 50 States, including the District of Columbia
• 5 Territories
• 97 Tribes and tribal consortiums
• 4863k Total households served with vulnerable populations
• 410K Households with a member with a disability
• 418K Households that included older adults
• 246K Households that included young children (ages 0 to 5)

Program Contact:
Low Income Household Water Assistance Program
Division of Energy Assistance
Office of Community Services
Phone: (202) 401-9351
LIHWAP Staff Contacts
LIHWAP@acf.hhs.gov
www.acf.hhs.gov/ocs/programs/lihwap