Cleveland, January 2023: Step Forward’s Low Income Household Water Assistance Program (LIHWAP), which helps eligible Cuyahoga County residents with their water and wastewater bills, continues to accept applications as the program plans to distribute more than $1 million in assistance funds over the next nine months.
Eligible residents must be at or below 175% of the Federal Poverty Guidelines, have a disconnection notice, have been disconnected, in the process of establishing a new service, or paying to transfer service. Residents with a current medical certificate on file with their utility are ineligible to receive LIHWAP assistance until the medical certificate protection expires.
To apply for the program, clients must schedule an appointment by calling (216) 350-8008 or online at stepforward.itfrontdesk.com. Appointments are available Monday through Friday from 8:00 a.m. until 4:00 p.m. Walk-ins are not accepted.
Residents with scheduled appointments should submit their documentation at least three days in advance of their appointment to receive assistance at the time of appointment. Documentation can be submitted to the Step Forward drop box at 2203 Superior Avenue, through the online scheduler linked above, emailed to Heapdocuments@stepforwardtoday.org, or submitted online at energyhelp.ohio.gov.
Clients need to provide copies of the following documents for their appointment:
- Copies of their most recent water/wastewater bills
- A list of all household members and proof of income for the last 30 days or 12 months for each member
- Proof of U.S. citizenship or legal residency for all household members
- Proof of disability (if applicable)
For more information about LIHWAP, contact (216) 350-8008. To contact your local Energy Assistance provider, call (800)-282-0880 (hearing impaired clients may dial 711 for assistance) or visit energyhelp.ohio.gov.
Step Forward helps people find hope, believe in their future and take steps to make it a reality. As the State’s designated anti-poverty agency for Cuyahoga County, Step Forward is tasked and trusted to lead the fight on the ground against poverty in our community. The nonprofit organization helps low-income individuals and families address immediate needs and build long-term skills to transform their lives through early childhood education programs, adult skills training and other support. Programs include Early Head Start (birth to three), Head Start (three-five years of age); personal development programs to enhance life skills, manage anger or get on track with personal goals; career planning and job training to enable people to learn or enhance skills, earn certifications or improve readiness to pursue and win better job opportunities. Step Forward also delivers the Home Energy Assistance Program (HEAP). For more information, visit stepforwardtoday.org.