The New Jersey Department of Community Affairs (DCA) announced that the application period for the Low Income Household Water Assistance Program (LIHWAP) is now open. The program will provide financial assistance to low-income households to reduce the balances they have on their residential water and wastewater bills. 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 services 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 payment 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.