Mayor G.T. Bynum has approved a contract with the Oklahoma Department of Human Services (OKDHS) that will allow the City of Tulsa to accept Low Income Housing Water Assistance Program (LIHWAP) subsidies for the water and sewer portion of utility bills for eligible customers.
Open enrollment for the program has begun, which can be found online at: www.okdhslive.org
“In Tulsa, no one should have to choose between feeding their families or keeping their water on,” Mayor G.T. Bynum said. “I am thankful for the collective effort to ensure that those who need help paying their bills are able to receive the assistance they need.”
A product of discussion at Tulsa City Council meetings regarding utility rates, City staff and Councilors worked together to find a way to be able to better assist utility customers needing help paying their bills.
It’s important to note that LIHWAP eligibility is determined by the Oklahoma Department of Human Services (OKDHS) and that LIHWAP does not provide direct payments to utility customers, rather, it provides payments to the City of Tulsa on behalf of the utility account. LIHWAP’s priority is to ensure households whose services have been disconnected due to non-payment, or are about to be disconnected, are able to have their services restored as quickly as possible.
Tulsa utility customers who end up utilizing the program will still be responsible for any delinquent or current balance for other utilities that make up their utility bill, such as refuse & recycling fees and EMSA fees (if opted in).
More information about LIHWAP can be found online.
Original source can be found here.
