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New Pilot Program to Pair Deep Discounts and Debt Forgiveness on Water Bills

The Community First Temporary Pilot Program will provide up to 90% off water and wastewater bills and offer debt forgiveness for eligible customers with low incomes.

Maria, a lifelong San Franciscan, is the primary wage earner for her household and shoulders the responsibility to pay rent, food, and other necessities to support her child and grandparents. She’s had a tough time because of the pandemic and hasn’t been working since March 2020. She now owes over $2,000 on her water bills. She and her family are doing everything they can to conserve water, but she still feels “so behind."

Unfortunately, Maria’s experience is not unique.

Since March 2020, the number of San Francisco water and wastewater accounts that are delinquent has grown by 250%. During that same time period, the average balance of delinquent residential accounts at the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission (SFPUC) has increased by 93% to more than $1,000 of water and wastewater debt per household. Households with low incomes and in communities of color have been disproportionately impacted.

“This pandemic completely upended the lives of our residents, and we are seeing that in the growing number of customers who are amassing an unsustainable amount of utility debt."

- SFPUC Acting General Manager Michael Carlin

To address this growing issue, the SFPUC partnered with The Financial Justice Project to develop the Community First Temporary Pilot Program. This six-month pilot program will provide steep discounts—up to 90% off—on water and wastewater bills for eligible customers with low incomes. A portion of those residents will also be randomly selected to receive debt forgiveness for up to $1,000 of back payments owed to the SFPUC if they are able to make six discounted payments toward their monthly bill.

We believe that the pilot results will show that steeper bill discounts, paired with debt relief, will provide much-needed relief to struggling customers.

SFPUC offers additional bill relief programs, which provide discounts ranging from 15% to 35% on water and wastewater bills for customers who have lost income due to the COVID-19 pandemic or are low-income.

“Too many San Francisco families have been hit hard by COVID-19 and are struggling to get back on their feet. Targeted debt relief is not only the right thing to do, it’s the smart thing to do. This pilot program will help us learn how to right-size utility bills for low-income families.”

- San Francisco Treasurer José Cisneros

We look forward to learning from this pilot program and developing new tools and interventions to ensure that every San Franciscan can afford access to water. Thank you to the SFPUC for their partnership on this issue!

Yours in Financial Justice,
Anne, Michelle, and Shawn

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