Water is not just a luxury, it is a fundamental human right. In fact, a home is considered legally uninhabitable if it lacks access to running water. However, it is alarming to know that in the United States alone, 15 million people had their water shut off in 2016.
To address this distressing statistic, the federal Low Income Household Water Assistance Program (LIHWAP) was established. This program aims to assist struggling families, especially during the pandemic, by covering the cost of past-due water bills for low-income households. It prevents water shutoffs or reverses them when they occur.
Since its inception just two years ago, LIHWAP has made a tremendous impact. Over 1.1 million families have received assistance through this program, allowing them to pay for critical drinking water and wastewater services that they otherwise would have lost. In New York state alone, LIHWAP has prevented or reversed water shutoffs for 32,000 families.
Despite its significant contributions, the Water Assistance Program has remained relatively unknown. It has silently been upholding our neighbors’ right to clean and accessible drinking water.
Unfortunately, the future of critical programs like LIHWAP is uncertain due to the impending government shutdown. Neither the House nor Senate appropriations committees have allocated funding to sustain this program in their spending bills. If Congress fails to take action, LIHWAP will cease to exist indefinitely.
Congress holds the power to keep LIHWAP alive, and the American people support it. According to a recent August poll, a staggering 76% of voters from all political parties support extending funding for a national program like LIHWAP. Furthermore, 8 out of 10 voters believe the government should assist lower-income families with their water bills. It is clear that keeping people’s water on is a politically popular cause.
It is imperative for Congress to include reauthorization funding for LIHWAP in the budget. No one in the wealthiest country on Earth should ever have to worry about water not flowing from their tap.
Annabel Gregg is the founder of the Water Insecurity Correction Coalition (yeswicc.com) and a graduate student at NYU Wagner.
Denial of responsibility! Vigour Times is an automatic aggregator of Global media. In each content, the hyperlink to the primary source is specified. All trademarks belong to their rightful owners, and all materials to their authors. For any complaint, please reach us at – [email protected]. We will take necessary action within 24 hours.
