On Friday (4/19), JEA notified 141 customers that they had received $645.23 in utility funds as part of the state of Florida’s Low Income Household Water Assistance Program (LIHWAP). JEA directly credited the funds to the customers’ utility accounts.
In all, the State of Florida released to JEA $90,977.43 in federal funds to be disbursed to customer accounts last week. This aid will provide much needed relief to these Northeast Florida families facing financial challenges.
Since October 2023, the federal government has provided Florida’s LIHWAP a total of $8,520,979 to assist 9,929 JEA customers.
The State of Florida determines LIHWAP recipients and household eligibility. This is the final round of committed LIHWAP matches for eligible Florida households, which total roughly $1.9 million. To ensure remaining funds were issued to those in greatest need, the State of Florida matched methodology focused on those customers who are at risk of shutoff and/or have the greatest outstanding arrearage balances.
The original eligibility criteria required that the customer:
- Previously received federal assistance through the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP)
- Has a total income no more than 60 percent of the Florida State Median Income (SMI) or $26,036 for a one-person household
- Is responsible for paying their home water or wastewater bills
- Is a resident of Florida, and
- Is a U.S. citizen, qualified alien, or permanent resident of the U.S.
Questions regarding the funding should be directed to the Florida LIHWAP helpline at (850) 820-8218. Calls are monitored 7 a.m. – 7 p.m. Monday through Friday.
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