Program Impact on Households
LIHWAP has had a profound effect on households and communities by reducing water debt. The efforts of OCS and grant recipients to monitor this impact through comprehensive quarterly and annual reports, supplemented by research conducted by OCS staff, have provided valuable insights.
Grant recipients assisted a significant number of households throughout the lifespan of LIHWAP.
During the life of the program, LIHWAP served 1,535,838 unduplicated households.[19] During this period, LIHWAP prevented 923,583 disconnections, restored water services 101,687 times, and reduced 1,120,417 water bills, with a total of 2,145,687 water assistance benefits provided to households in need. The average benefit was $448 per household, weighted by number of services provided.
What Have We Learned?
Demographic Data from Annual Reports:
- Out of 124 grant recipients providing annual report data in FY22, 104 (84%) provided data on ethnicity, 102 (82%) provided data on race, 94 (76%) provided data on gender, and 87 (70%) provided data on home ownership status.
- In FY23 and FY24, 129 grant recipients provided annual report data, of which 127 (98%) provided data on race, 92 (71%) provided data on ethnicity, 108 (84%) provided data on gender, and 102 (79%) provided data on home ownership status.
- Over the course of the program, an estimated 1,535,838 households and at least 3,842,540 household members were assisted.[20]
Demographic Details:
- American Indians or Alaska Natives, Black or African Americans, and Native Hawaiians or other Pacific Islanders were overrepresented among household recipients, compared to national demographic data.
- Across all annual reports, race was not reported for 14.71% of household members, and ethnicity for 15.63%.
- Over the course of the program, 59% of households served had extremely low income (under 75% of the federal poverty level). In 2023, 75% of the federal poverty level equated to $22,500 for a family of four.[21]
- In total, 77% of LIHWAP-assisted households fell at or under the federal poverty level. Reaching these populations was critical for ensuring that LIHWAP benefits went to households with the greatest financial need for water assistance.[22]
- Households with low incomes disproportionately comprise communities that lack adequate access to basic water and sanitation, and households of color are more likely to have low incomes in the U.S. compared to White households.[9]
- Gender was reported for 96.15% of total household members served. 52.47% of household members identified as female (2,016,372 people), 32.69% identified as male (1,256,139 people), and 0.43% identified as another gender (16,570 people).
Vulnerable Populations and Service Characteristics:
- In total, 417,515 households (27.2% of total LIHWAP-assisted households) had at least one older individual, 246,476 (16.0%) had at least one young child, and 410,237 (26.7%) had at least one individual with a disability. In total, 863,358 assisted households (56.2% of the total) included at least one vulnerable population member.
- These populations experience additional hardships or health consequences from a lack of water access.
Housing Arrangements:
- Of households served, approximately 37% of households served were owned, 40% were rented, and 23% had an other or unknown status.
- Nationally, approximately 35% of households are renter-occupied and 65% are owner-occupied.
State Examples: Serving Rented Households
Virginia
71% of households served by LIHWAP in Virginia were renters.
Missouri
65% of households served by LIHWAP in Missouri were renters.