City Of Evanston: Water And Sewer Bill Assistance Available

Press release from the City of Evanston:

03/16/2022 12:45 PM

Two programs are available to assist Evanston community members with their water and sewer bills.

Evanston community members who qualify for the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) can receive a reduced rate for water and sewer services provided by the City of Evanston.

The City's new Affordable Water and Sewer Rate Program helps to ensure all community members have access to affordable, high-quality drinking water. All Evanston community members who qualify for LIHEAP can participate even if they don't pay a water or sewer bill.

Qualified individuals who enroll in the program will receive a reduced water rate of $1.99 per 100 cubic feet (1 unit) of water consumption, compared to the regular rate of $3.17 per cubic feet, and a reduced sewer rate of $1.94 per 100 cubic feet, compared to the regular rate of $3.08 per 100 cubic feet. A typical family of four uses approximately 115 units of water in a typical year. Those who qualify for the program but don't pay a water and sewer bill will receive an annual payment from the City reflecting their estimated savings.

How to enroll

To participate, individuals must email a scanned copy or photo of their LIHEAP benefit approval letter (view example) to water@cityofevanston.org or bring it to one of the following locations during their office hours:

• Levy Senior Center, 300 Dodge Ave.
• Fleetwood-Jourdain Community Center, 1655 Foster St.
• City Collector's Office, Morton Civic Center, 2100 Ridge Ave.

Enrollment is open now through June 2022.

For questions, visit cityofevanston.org/affordablerate, email water@cityofevanston.org, or call/text 847-448-4311.

The Low-Income Household Water Assistance Program (LIHWAP) provides funds to assist low-income households who pay their water and wastewater bill. The program is designed to help prevent disconnection and restore drinking water and wastewater services to households.

Water bill payments will be made directly to the Evanston Water Utility by the Community and Economic Development Association of Cook County (CEDA) on behalf of approved Evanston eligible households. A one-time bill payment can be up to a maximum of $1,500 per eligible household.

In order to be eligible, the household gross income must meet the 200% of federal poverty income guidelines. View the Gross Income Guidelines table.

How to enroll

To participate, individuals must complete a pre-application online at cedaorg.net/liheap/pre-app or Call CEDA’s Call Center at 800-571-2332 to complete an application over the phone.

For questions, visit cityofevanston.org/lihwap or call/text 847-448-4311.

This press release was produced by the City of Evanston. The views expressed here are the author’s own.