Chicago City Wire

Veteran state Sen. Patrick Joyce (D-Essex) is doing all he can to make sure Illinois residents struggling with water and sewer utility bills are aware that help could be just a phone call away.    

“Water and sewer assistance is here,” Joyce posted on Facebook. “The Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity has announced the Low-Income Household Water Assistance Program providing $42 million to help people avoid shut offs, assist households that have already had their services shut off or provide assistance to residents unable to pay their water and sewer bills.”

With the impact felt from COVID-19 still lingering, the Pritzker administration, in partnership with the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity (DCEO), is now leveraging federal ARPA funds to help local families access and afford home energy assistance and other essential services during COVID-19, according to the state.

The State’s Fiscal Year 2022 (FY 22) budget approves an expansion of the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program and the Community Services Block Grant programs for eligible Illinoisans seeking assistance to cover costs of utility bills, rent, temporary shelter, food and other household necessities.

Water bills in Chicago have tripled over the last six years, amounting to the fastest rate of increase among the six Great Lake cities, according to WBEZ and American Public Media as part of a joint investigation delving into the rising cost of water usage across the region. Further study highlights that the most dramatic increases in water and sewer costs, which the city bills together, took place during the administration of now former Mayor Rahm Emanuel.

In many cases, the increases have hit those who can afford it least the hardest, with data showing poor families have borne the brunt of the price upticks. Even as the city gets its water from nearby Lake Michigan, residents now pay more for their water than individuals in places like Phoenix, which must pipe in water from sources as far away as 300 miles.

All told, the city is now owed more than $210 million in unpaid water bills, at one point resulting in The Chicago Department of Water Management moving to shut off water service to tens of thousands of individuals.

Back in 2017, Chicago Ald. Carlos Ramirez-Rosa introduced the “Water for All” ordinance, a measure designed reduce rates for low-income residents earning less than the federal poverty level. More recently, Block Club Chicago reports Mayor Lori Lightfoot, calling access to water “a basic human right” announced the city will no longer cut off a resident’s water service because of an unpaid utility bill.

The city’s new Utility Billing Relief and Debt Forgiveness program also aims to ease the load of overdue water bills by allowing cash-strapped residents to take advantage of such options as paying a discounted rate of 50% for water service, sewer and water-sewer tax bills. After one year of meeting the discounted payments, the city would forgive previously incurred debt.