Charleston South Carolina water bill assistance.
Low income residents and families in Charleston County South Carolina that are facing a crisis can get assistance with their water bills. There are a couple main programs available to those that qualify. Operation Round-Up is a donation program that gives people and businesses from the community the ability to support water-related charitable causes by contributing through their water bill. The Good Neighbor Program is for people in the community that are facing a crisis or hardship.
Operation Round-up allows individuals to donate funds every month to some charitable causes or to the less fortunate. One use of the funds will be for paying a portion of past due water bills. They can also select to contribute to the Good Neighbor Program or they can select Water Missions International. Both of these are charity type programs that go to assisting the less fortunate and poor in the county or worldwide.
Water Missions International operates worldwide, not just in South Carolina. They are a Charleston County based nonprofit Christian engineering organization that provides sanitation solutions and sustainable safe drinking water for people in disaster areas and those that live in developing countries. Since the non-profit begin operations they have helped bring hope and relief to over 2 million people around the world. So while this will help with water needs, the program is focused on those residents of other countries.
The primary local program that residents can donate to, or that low income families can apply to for assistance, is the Good Neighbor Program. It is often run by a few non-profits in the community. This is yet another non-profit program that can help local families and individuals that are experiencing a financial hardship.
Grants and funds can help them pay their water bills that may be in arrears. The program is administered by the Charleston County Human Services Commission. Upwards of 95% of donated funds are used to help customers in need while only 5 percent of the funds collected are used to offset administration costs.
Applicants to this program will of course need to meet income and other conditions that are set by the Human Services Commission. They will set this guidelines in partnership with the local water company. Aid is only for the low income in the community.
Another key factor in applying is your past payment history. This can, and will be considered, before granting any financial assistance. If you are a Charleston South Carolina customer that showed consistent and timely payments in the past on your water account, this may be a factor that can help in the application process. All resources are limited and depend on those donations referenced above.
Find how to apply for assistance, payment plans and more in Charleston SC
For information on receiving assistance from the Good Neighbor Fund, please contact the Charleston County Human Services Commission at (843) 723-9285.
The water provider may also offer extensions on your water bills as well. The company knows that in some cases people are facing a very short term crisis and just need some additional time. Or they need to apply to another group for short term help. An extension can provide people with more time to come up with money to pay their bill on their own. So that can ensure that your serve is not shut off. This additional time can in effect push back a disconnection for a short period of time.
People who request an extension tend to be faced with a short term reduction in work hours, medical emergency, or an unexpected expense such as a car repair. These, and other examples, can be the reason to request an extension on your account. If any payment arrangement is offered for water bills, the customer will need to abide by the terms of it. If you miss paying a future bill, or are late on it, then your account may still be disconnected in most instances. So if you are offered help from any of these Charleston South Carolina programs be sure to take advantage of them and don’t let the opportunity pass by.
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