Assistance with Utility Bills LIHWAP and Authority Cares

The Western Virginia Water Authority offers two assistance programs to help customers who are not able to pay their water and wastewater bills.

LIHWAP, the Low Income Household Water Assistance Program, is a temporary federally funded program to assist low-income households with water and wastewater bills.

Authority Cares, established in partnership with the HomeServe Service Line, is available to any Authority customer on a first-come, first-served basis to qualified customers whose debt is past due. Customers may receive one pledge in a 12-month period.

Individual applications and information for both forms of assistance are available on this website. Customers should first verify if the qualify for LIHWAP under the income guidelines. If you qualify for LIHWAP under the income guidelines, please apply for that funding assistance program. If you do not meet the income guidelines established for LIHWAP, please apply for Authority Cares.

About LIHWAP, the Low Income Household Water Assistance Program

The Low Income Household Water Assistance Program (LIHWAP) is a temporary federally funded program created to assist low-income households with water and wastewater bills. LIHWAP relief will be available to eligible Virginia residents from October 2022 until funds are depleted.

The program is administered by the Virginia Department of Social Services (VDSS) in partnership with Promise. Promise is a modern technology solutions company that works with utilities and government agencies around the country to provide payment flexibility for households who are unable to pay their bills and streamline relief distribution to those in need.

As a participant in LIHWAP, the Western Virginia Water Authority is required to securely send all past due debt information to Promise, the LIHWAP program administrator. The data will only be used by Promise for the purposes of qualifying customers for Western Virginia Water Authority utility bill financial assistance.

LIHWAP income guidelines & eligibility

Households eligible for LIHWAP assistance must have a past due water/wastewater balance and a gross household income below 150% of the federal poverty level based on household size (please see the Income Guidelines Table below). Priority will be given to households whose water/wastewater has been disconnected or is at risk of disconnection.

Income Guidelines Table

Net monthly income may not exceed the following requirements:

Household Size	Maximum Income
1	$1,699
2	$2,289
3	$2,879
4	$3,469
5	$4,059
6	$4,649
7	$5,239
8	$5,829
9	$6,419
10	$7,009
11	$7,599
12	$8,189
13	$8,779
14	$9,369
15	$9,959
16	$10,549
17	$11,139
18	$11,729
19	$12,319
20	$12,909

Eligible households may apply for LIHWAP relief at:

www.virginialihwap.com

Applicants not already enrolled in an income based program (LIHEAP, SNAP/EBT, TANF, SSI and means-tested veteran programs) will be required to provide evidence of household income.

Application assistance is available by contacting Promise directly between the hours of 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Saturday. Please do not contact your local department of social services, as they will not be able to provide support regarding the application process. For assistance call 1-888-373-9908

Applying for LIHWAP assistance

Eligible households may apply for LIHWAP relief at:

www.virginialihwap.com

Please note that this link will take you to an external site that is not maintained by the Western Virginia Water Authority.

Applicants not already enrolled in an income based program (LIHEAP, SNAP/EBT, TANF, SSI and means-tested veteran programs) will be required to provide evidence of household income.

Application assistance is available by contacting Promise directly between the hours of 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Saturday. Please do not contact your local department of social services, as they will not be able to provide support regarding the application process. For assistance call 1-888-373-9908

About Authority Cares

Any customer of the Western Virginia Water Authority who is unable to pay for their water and/or sewer service is eligible to apply for the Authority Cares funds.

The Authority maintains the Authority Cares fund, established in partnership with the HomeServe Service Line Protection program, to assist customers in the City of Roanoke, the Counties of Roanoke, Franklin and Botetourt and the Towns of Boones Mill and Vinton. This fund currently has $28,500 available each month to help customers who need assistance in paying their bills.

Authority Cares guidelines & eligibility

Applying for Authority Cares assistance

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