A Community Services block grant will fund water bill assistance and conservation education available to San Benito County residents. With extreme drought persisting throughout the state, on June 4 the California Department of Community Services and Development (CSD) announced the Drought Water Assistance Program (DWAP) to assist drought impacted, low-income households with their residential water utility bill to prevent disruption in vital water services and to promote water conservation. The $600,000 program will be directed to families in 10 counties currently experiencing some of the worst drought impacts.
“Working with community-based organizations, CSD’s Drought Water Assistance Program will help provide much needed relief to drought-impacted families,” said CSD Director Linné Stout. “CSD has worked quickly to address this locally identified need through this new program. ”
San Benito County residents can apply in person at CSWD, 1111 San Felipe Road, Suite 108 in Hollister. An application and income guidlines are available at: www.sbccab.wix.com/cab1. No appointment is necessary. Applications are not accepted after 4 p.m.
CSD conducted a drought impacts survey of the local agencies the department works with to serve low-income populations throughout California. These agencies identified water utility bill assistance as a drought emergency need. In response, CSD developed the plan by working with these local agencies to use one-time funding under the Community Services Block Grant (CSBG). Previously, no state program offered emergency assistance with the primary focus of helping with water utility bills.
Through the block grant, the DWAP allocates one-time funding of $600,000 to 10 counties in which the unemployment rate is higher than the 2013 statewide average, the share of agricultural workers is higher than the state as a whole and which are experiencing “exceptional” drought conditions according to the U.S. Drought Monitor Classification System. These counties, in addition to San Benito, are Fresno, Kern, Kings, Madera, Merced, Monterey, Santa Cruz, Stanislaus and Tulare.
The CSBG agency in each of these counties has been awarded $60,000 to provide residential water financial assistance benefits and water conservation education to low-income households. The agencies will partner with local water providers to enhance the effectiveness of outreach and coordinate payment of a client’s current, past due and/or disconnected water utility bills. Eligible households will be asked to self-certify that they were impacted by the drought.
Community Services & Workforce Development (CSWD) was awarded a Drought Water Assistance Program (DWAP) grant for $60,000 to assist low-income residents pay their water bills.
Gov. Jerry Brown has called on all Californians to reduce their water use by 20 percent and prevent water waste. Visit www.SaveOurH2O.org for ideas about how to conserve, and visit www.Drought.CA.gov to learn more about how California is dealing with the effects of the drought.