Assistance with water bills in Baltimore.
Learn how to get help paying water bills in the Baltimore MD area, whether you live in the county or the city. The options available are wide ranging and include financial help from a local non-profit, payment plans from Baltimore City Department of Public Works (DPW) and other options. In limited cases, there may also be financial help for sewer costs for some households. Find details below on water bill assistance programs for both the city and county of Baltimore.
Note the city and county resources are the same. As Baltimore City Department of Public Works (DPW) operates the regional water system and sends bills to all customers connected to the public water network, even if the service address is in Baltimore County.
Programs offered directly by Baltimore City Department of Public Works
Baltimore City’s primary affordability program is Water4All, created under the Water Accountability and Equity Act. Water4All provides an income-based monthly discount that caps water and sewer charges as a percentage of household income. This will ideally make the water costs lower and thus pro-actively prevent a possible disconnection. Tenants can qualify even when the landlord holds the water account, which also helps Baltimore residents who rent a property keep their water on.
If you already have a past-due balance on the Baltimore City Department of Public Works bill , enroll in a PromisePay payment plan. Baltimore DPW partners with PromisePay to offer interest-free, flexible plans for balances of $50 or more. You can sign up online and choose payment dates and amounts that fit your budget; plans are meant to keep accounts in good standing while you catch up over time. This in effect provides a customer more time to pay their water and keep their service on.
- The DPW payment-plan page and PromisePay’s site both outline how to enroll and what to expect. For many households, the most effective strategy is to combine Water4All (to reduce future charges) with a PromisePay plan (to resolve arrears). Get details here on applying for PromisePAy for water bills https://baltimore.promise-pay.com/.
A small number of Baltimore residents get their service from Maryland American Water. They too of course can apply for financial help from a non-profit. But as far as company specific options, Maryland American Water has the H2O Help to Others Program and a hardship grant administered by Dollar Energy Fund. Qualified customers can receive a one-time grant applied directly to their bill; details and current rules are posted by both the utility and Dollar Energy Fund. Call 866-641-2131 for details.
Baltimore area charities that help with water or sewer costs
Within Baltimore County, Community Assistance Network (CAN) periodically offers limited utility assistance for eligible County residents. While grant money to pay water/wastewater is not a priority, there can be funds allocated from time to time. The non-profit administers the program on behalf of the city as well as the entire county. They can provide details on the water as well as any sewer bill assistance programs that may be available. Learn more on how to get help from Community Assistance Network.
Faith-based providers in Baltimore are another route. There is St. Vincent de Paul of Baltimore as well as the Christian charity Salvation Army as well as others. These groups field requests for basic needs and, when funds allow, utility support with some funds allocated for water bills. This can be useful when you need help covering a modest gap that a payment plan does not address and look here for details on emergency help from Baltimore Catholic Charity churches.
Conclusion
If you live in Baltimore City or County and are worried about your water bill or struggling to keep the service on you do have options as listed above. The key to success is acting early and being prepared. As generally criteria for eligibility include the following, as money is limited.
The customer must have verification documents for eligibility. The applicant must be a Baltimore City resident, receive their water bill directly from the City, and they also must be the utility account holder. The individuals applying for help also must reside at the address in question. The family needs to also have received a turn-off notice, delinquency letter, or tax sale notice due to being in arrears. In addition to those criteria, the customer can’t be on an existing payment plan.
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