{"id":5586,"date":"2022-07-14T12:59:19","date_gmt":"2022-07-14T12:59:19","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/wordpress.thetruthtoledo.com\/?p=5586"},"modified":"2022-07-14T12:59:19","modified_gmt":"2022-07-14T12:59:19","slug":"pathways-water-assistance-program-designed-to-help-residents-with-water-bills","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wordpress.thetruthtoledo.com\/index.php\/2022\/07\/14\/pathways-water-assistance-program-designed-to-help-residents-with-water-bills\/","title":{"rendered":"Pathway\u2019s Water Assistance Program Designed to Help Residents with Water Bills"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Claudia Rodriguez-Salazar<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

By Fletcher Word<\/strong><\/em>
\nSojourner\u2019s Truth Editor<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

Pathway Toledo has obtained federal funding in order to start a Low Income Household Water Assistance Program (LHWAP) designed to help income-eligible Lucas County residents with their drinking water and wastewater bills.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWe are here to help if you are falling behind on your water bill, if disconnection is threatened or if you want to establish new service,\u201d says Claudia Rodriguez-Salazar, Pathway\u2019s director of Emergency and Empowerment Services.<\/p>\n

The program, which has just recently started in 2022 after receiving the federal funding, will continue until September 30, 2022. Eligible residents are those whose incomes are at or below 175 percent of the Federal Poverty Guidelines (FPG) who have been disconnected or have a disconnection notice, need to establish new service or want to transfer service.<\/p>\n

Residents with a current medical certificate on file with their utility are not eligible to receive LHWAP assistance until the medical certificate protection expires.<\/p>\n

Area residents dealing with water issues are often vulnerable to a host of other issues due to a lack of clean water and proper waste facilities, notes Rodriguez-Salazas. \u201cIt is a health issue that we encounter each and every day,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n

Each and every day for Rodriguez-Salazar means each and every day for 28 years \u2013 that\u2019s how long she has been with the community action agency. She started with the agency under its original name \u2013 the Economic Opportunity Planning Association (EOPA) \u2013 as an outreach worker, then moved into case management before joining the planning department and eventually becoming director of community services.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe are here with this program until September and we want to make sure that those in need reach out to us.\u201d<\/p>\n

Lucas County residents interested in using the LHWAP can contact Pathway, Inc at 419-242-7304. They will need to provide the following information:<\/p>\n